Bleached Memories
by PompeyMagnus
Summary: My first Bleach fanfic, according to some the best Bleach fanic ever, please read and review! A new Arc! Will the past that Yoruichi and Urahara seek to bury come back and haunt them? What're Aizen plans, can Ichigo stop a new menace? MANY ROMANTIC PAIRS
1. Lux Aeterna

This is actually my first Bleach fanfic ever, and to tell you the truth, I'm nervous.

I primarily write Evangelion fanfics. I have a great knowledge of that and its characterizations, so it comes easily.

I have written an Evangelion/Bleach crossover, but that's not the same…this is my first PURE Bleach fanfic, my first fanfic in the Bleach section.

And despite watching all of the anime and reading every fresh manga chapter that comes weekly from Japan, I'm still kind of nervous about Bleach factoids and characterizations.

I hope I don't mess this up or mess up facts or things about Bleach.

If I do:

1.) It's probably just part of the suspension of disbelief that is inherent in this fanfic OR me taking liberties as one does as I steer my own Bleach story.

2.) Just call me on it in your Review, though I ask you to at least be civil about it.

I'm actually probably freaking out a lot of my fans by making YET ANOTHER NEW FANFIC.

I'm notorious for starting dozens of new fanfics and ideas, but nearly never ever finishing any and going all the way. I get 10 chapters into one fanfic and I get a new interesting idea.

However I'll try my best, so whatever.

So…errr…let's start.

By the way, this starts immediately after the Soul Society Arc. 

Ichigo has rescued Rukia, blah blah blah, etc. 

Basically the Bount arc never happens in this. 

I plan this story to be long, perhaps odd, but hopefully good and exciting. It will encompass and involve nearly all the characters you all love and enjoy and feature a lot of crazy fights and plot developments that obviously aren't canon.  


Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc.. Did you really need me to tell you that?

* * *

**Soul Society **

**Seireitei**

The dust had cleared over Aizen's betrayal and the invasion of the outsiders, and slowly Soul Society was trying its best to return to normality and prepare for the challenges ahead.

Kenpachi dashed about attempting to challenge the newly recovered and fleeing Ichigo, while the supposedly last remaining Quincy slowly sewed new clothes for his friends.

Rangiku was drinking away her misery with Kira, shouting and cursing vilely, while Tōshirō Hitsugaya stood broodingly over the bedside of Hinamori.

Things were painfully trying to return to some post-war normality, post-betrayal. Yet the forces of Hueco Mundo never ceased moving, and over Soul Society one could discern a certain tangible gloom.

Ichigo sighed, finally having lost Kenpachi, slowly striding past a generic stone building with his blade at his back as always. Suddenly, Inoue rushed forward towards him, clearly out of breath and straining.

"W-What's up Inoue?! And where'd you get that outfit?"

The young girl didn't even respond, panting as she faced Ichigo.

"She's…She's gone…I can't find Kuchiki-san anywhere in the city!"

Suddenly a familiar voice.

"Who's nowhere in the city?"

Inoue gasped, turning around and smiling beamingly as Rukia stepped out from the corner, a gentle smirk on her face.

"One only needs to look closer, Orihime-san…"

Ichigo studied her carefully as she strode towards them, trying not to make it obvious that he was watching her intently.

_She was probably with Byakuya…I'll never understand that family circle…_

"Always need someone to babysit you, Rukia?"

"Don't be so mean Ichigo!"

"It's alright Orihime-san, he's just being grouchy, as you would say…"

Ichigo grunted, glancing away towards the distance.

_Where will she go, I wonder…will she come with us, finally? To…return it to how it was…before? Her…sleeping in my room…us…dealing with Shinigami. Can I protect her for long…without her close? I wonder. _

Rukia glanced meaningfully at Ichigo for a moment and then turned back to chatting with the jovial Orihime. It seemed Ichigo had much on his mind.

The city was at peace…or at least trying to deal with its problems as best it could.

Except for one former Captain who found no solace in her sleep.

* * *

"_Yoruichi__! You believe me, don't you? You wouldn't side with them, with that blasted researcher, with father?"_

_He stared at her with fierce eyes, backing her into the wall, one hand tenderly caressing her cheek._

"_You…wouldn't…forsake your only love, would you? I hope not…"_

_She stared at him and grimaced with him as her blade slid into his belly._

"_Hope…springs eternal…my love."_

Yoruichi stiffened, gasping as she awoke from her sleep. From her nightmare.

It had been more than a nightmare…she had sensed a spiritual presence in the midst of her dreaming…something massive…yet very quick and slight at the same time…she had just barely felt it.

_Those eyes…she…she hadn't felt that reitsu for…for…she could not remember how long it had been since she had seen him. Or felt his presence…or lips. _

They had been the second Captain class of the Shinigami Academy, it had been thus. The three prodigies.

Kisuke Urahara had been taught and mentored by Shunsui. She had been mentored by Ukitake, who would later take on Little Byakuya.

However…the third member of that prodigy class…was no longer in existence.

She had seen him destroyed, and it had been surprising.

He had been trained by General Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai himself.

After all…he was the General's…only son. He would even go on to mentor and train the traitor Aizen, his successor…what irony…what cursed history in the Fifth Division…

She rose from her bed cot, trembling as she wrapped herself in her blanket.

"Where did you go, Little Ōkami? Why do I feel you still?"

She knew she had felt something…in her heart…but she hoped Urahara had not sensed it. She hoped this was a figment of her imagination, that that prodigal son remained in his grave.

Hope springs eternal.

* * *

**Hueco Mundo**

A man stood in the land of the dead, the land of demons and madmen. He seemed quite at home.

The man appeared to be in his 30s, young still, his clothes flapping in the harsh wind of Hueco Mundo.

On the back of his white thigh-length kimono coat was on odd black symbol. It was a black rhombus with five small ordered black lines inside of it.

He stalked over the terrible white dunes of Hueco Mundo quietly, and then chuckled, speaking seemingly to himself.

"You need not hide; I can already sense your spiritual presence. It's blaring and screaming to be heard. I hear you."

The massive hollow burst out of the white sand, roaring angrily through its spike-covered mask, swinging its massive scythe-like limbs around without care.

"INTRUDER! DIE!"

"I'd rather not, if you don't mind."

The young man smirked, reaching for the small Tantō that had been sheathed at his hip.

"Kowasu, _inazuma._"

* * *

**Hueco Mundo **

**Las Noches**

The Espada and the Traitor Shinigami sat quietly around the stone table, a meeting commencing.

Aizen approached the table, taking his prominent seat.

"Good morning, Espada. There's an intruder in Las Noches. But first... shall we make some tea?"

The various Arrancar stiffened some of them seemingly ready to go off and fight, a few of them exceedingly excited.

"He is a guest of mine. Do not worry. This is invitation only, until one leaves the mortal realm through death."

Ulquiorra rose from the stone table suddenly, quiet and alert, though his face remained emotionless.

"Aizen-sama…Grimmjow has already gone off and ignored the call to meeting. I assume he has gone to meet the intruder directly after sensing his spiritual presence."

Aizen only gave him a slow stiff smile.

"Well then, retrieve him before he gets himself killed. That would be quite…unsavory."

Before Ulquiorra could take Aizen's orders to action, a chuckle and strange voice filled the chamber.

"Don't worry…I don't kill fleas. Though I've heard you've developed a practice of doing so, little traitor Aizen."

A young man dressed in a black kimono with a stylish white haori over it, much like a Captain of the Gotei 13 would wear.

All Arrancar at the table stiffened, though Gin, Tousen, and Aizen didn't seem surprised by the newcomer's voice.

Ulquiorra turned and stared at the newcomer with more than just a bit of trepidation.

_I never felt this being's spiritual presence enter the room. Even now it seems to be barely detectable._

The young man smirked, dropping Grimmjow's body hard on the Espada stone table, chuckling.

The rest of the Espada studied Grimmjow quietly, some in fear, some in anger, some amused and laughing at his fate. Something odd that struck all of their thoughts was the fact that he hadn't a cut or bruise on his body.

"Like I said, he's not dead…"

Aizen only stared at the newcomer, not even raising.

"Well, that was prudent of you not to kill him…_sempai._"

He spoke the last word more in mockery than in respect.

"Well, little Sōsuke, why have you summoned me here? We haven't spoken in…centuries actually. I'm surprised you found me or even knew of my location. I am deceased, or so the Soul Society has officially declared."

Aizen only smirked.

"So was I, for a small period…it matters not how I found you, rather, what you can do for me. It is a little matter of a friend of yours and his mistakes. Kisuke Urahara."

The young man stiffened, rendering Aizen a cold glare that terrified a few of the Espada but only filled Ulquiorra with annoyance.

_How dare he regard Aizen-sama thusly…Why does he tolerate such a fellow?_

"Do not mention that name…again…Aizen."

Aizen was unmoved.

"Indeed…it was his mistake to place the Hōgyoku inside of that girl, and do it so awkwardly. The removal was successful, but only to a degree. And I discovered this far too late. The essence of the Hōgyoku is corroded and melded with her soul. It was a mistake not to take her outright."

"So you need her back, alive I presume? What does that have to do with me? Surely you haven't become so weak to depend on others, have you Aizen? Can you not have one of your sickly creations handle this girl…"

Ulquiorra stiffened.

"…or one of your Shinigami lapdogs?"

Gin only chuckled while Tousen made no response.

Aizen smiled grimly.

"Always willing to ruffle feathers, yes? That is why they called you a wolf…a nuisance…But I know I have something you want…a particular device, isn't that so?"

The young man smiled, nodding eagerly like a child and rubbing his chin.

"Why, yes, you do have something I want. But what stops me from simply taking it by force? Perhaps it was unwise to inform me of your possession of it in the first place…this Quincy artifact."

Aizen gave no response, clearly unimpressed. However by now Ulquiorra had reached his boiling point, hurtling straight towards the young man.

Aizen gave Ulquiorra no orders to stand down, simply watching in fascination as the young man stared Aizen in the eyes and disappeared in a flash of shunpo.

He was too swift for most eyes to detect; appearing directly behind Ulquiorra's confused form and bringing his arm up to point in the Arrancar's direction.

"Destructive Art: 95, Lighting Genesis, Crash Down."

Aizen appeared suddenly in a flash of shunpo, grasping the young man's arm and pushing it down gently before he could launch the spell.

"You have made your point, there is no need for you to prove your strength and go about smashing my quarters about as you always did."

Ulquiorra watched on in annoyance as the two continued speaking.

"You have no quarrel with me, but I know you have quarrel with Soul Society…with…I need not go on, you know it better than myself. I need this job done well, and I cannot go to it personally. If you accomplish these easy goals, I will give you the artifact you have been seeking for so very long."

The young man pushed Aizen away, sighing and turning away.

"I will make it so, I suppose. It is so queer to hear you asking me favors, yet so familiar…it reminds me of the past. And that irritates me. I will go seek out this girl you hunt, and I will erase my past in the process. So be it…little Sōsuke."

The man disappeared as quietly as he had appeared initially, in a shunpo so quick that it seemed to have barely ever happened.

Aizen gave a calm smile, turning back to his collected Espada as Grimmjow twitched and slowly rose from the table with a groan.

"So be it..."

* * *

Sorry if that chapter was short for your tastes, or weird…but like I said, this is my first fanfic with Bleach characters and plot, and I'm still trying to flesh everything out and I wrote this from scratch.

But I have a lot of ideas plotted out…hope you enjoy the ride.

I hope it wasn't terribly lame, especially the characterizations.

Post any reviews/concerns/problems/questions/compliments/whatever within your reviews, and I'll respond to them in my Author's Notes like this, if you wish. I read all reviews.

Oh, and if you're into Evangelion or any other non-Bleach animes/mangas, do check out my many other fics by clicking on my Author's Profile. 

See you next chapter, hopefully. 


	2. Memento Mori

Well, I'm slowly getting the ball rolling on this story…

As I said, it's my first Bleach fanfic, so I hope it's not too full of wrong things or bad characterizations of canon characters. I might fiddle with the timeline and histories of the characters a bit though, obviously. 

Anyway, stick with me guys, I've been a little bummed lately since usually I'm used to like, a dozen reviews or so whenever I make a new chapter but for most of my fanfics I only get two or three now.

For those who don't know my style, Italics are usually a character thinking or flashing back. 

I'll be updating this as well as I can.

Let's get this started!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc.. Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

**Soul Society **

**Seireitei**

Rukia stared worryingly at Inoue and Ichigo as a light breeze came between the buildings of Seireitei.

"Ichigo, Inoue…"

"Looks like you're finished seeing to your brother and the business here? Let's go then…soon they'll open up the door to send us back to the living world. You haven't recovered completely, you know. You should rest in preparation."

Rukia glanced away from his face, biting her lip, her eyes brooding.

"Yes, about that…I have something to tell you…I've decided to stay…in Soul Society."

He stared at her with wide eyes, eyes that for a moment seemed to betray some sort of emotion other than the usual Ichigo grimace. Sadness? Yearning? Longing? Betrayal? Love?

But it only lasted for a brief moment, too brief to be realized or truly recognized by either.

He only gave a snide smirk, nodding. Inoue only watched on quietly, which was surprisingly uncharacteristic of her.

"I see, well that's good then."

"Huh?"

"Heh…since you decided for yourself, didn't you? If you actually want to stay here…isn't that a good thing?"

She gave him a slight dreamy smile in response to his grin.

Inside, Ichigo was grimacing.

_Do I remember now, truly, why I came? The reason why I wanted to save you so much? I remember what you told me long ago, still…A Shinigami should look on all equally, it should not pick and choose who it saves…A Shinigami must save all or save no one, otherwise it's useless and meaningless. But I'm not that kind of person, Rukia…I'm not instantly inclined to let my life go for a stranger or acquaintance._

Ichigo smiled and Rukia spoke slowly, turning around and walking away.

"Well Ichigo, we part ways here…though you don't leave for a few days you said, right? Maybe we can all chat sometime."

_The reason was you, Rukia…I can't shake that…it's obvious…I wanted YOU. I wanted to come and return you to my home, to my life…it's almost pathetic in a way. It's selfish._

"Got it…see ya Rukia."

"Should you really have just Rukia go off like that, Ichigo? She looked kind of funny…"

Ichigo sighed, averting his glance to a few random Shinigami bickering in the corner.

"Look, if she wants to go drown in her own angst or watch over her wounded brother, let her, okay? We're not babysitting her. It's her choice, you heard her."

_If she wants to stay here…let her…_

Inoue only sighed in response, staring broodingly at Ichigo's fixed smirk and Rukia's retreating back.

"Oh well…"

"Something on your mind Orihime?"

Ichigo turned to see Ishida and Chad slowly striding towards them, nodding to both.

"Oh, it's nothing Ishida…just…"

Ichigo butted in.

"We were just seeing off Rukia. I think she'll stay here while Seireitei is recovering."

"You think, huh?"

"Yeah…I do…"

_I came for you, Rukia…but I'm leaving without you…somehow I feel...like the battle was never won…you may have decided it for yourself…but I can't accept it._

Ichigo Kurosaki was as always all bluster, letting the true emotions he had stay burrowed. One wouldn't even be able to tell that his heart was aching for a particular short woman of delicate pale skin.

* * *

Rukia sighed, slowly making her way past one of the many random barracks inside of Seireitei. 

She had been walking for a while by herself after leaving Inoue and Ichigo behind.

A gloom had fallen over the entire area after Aizen's betrayal, she knew this in truth.

Ichigo had almost…died…protecting her…so had Renji…and her brother. It was disgraceful how weak she was…how vulnerable!

She couldn't depend on them forever; it wouldn't be fair to them or to her.

_And next time…Ichigo may not…well there won't be a next time. But…I can only use some kidō right now, I don't even have my sword with me or my powers back…it's pitiful…but…_

"Next time they come, I'll be ready."

"Ready? Really, Rukia Kuchiki? Are you ready?"

Rukia spun around at the snide male voice, just in time to get a hard boot in her face.

* * *

Soifon stood grimly outside Yoruichi's abode, feeling shameful for how meek she felt. 

_I am a Captain of the Gotei 13…this is wrong…_

However, she couldn't help be taken aback whenever she encountered her sempai, from the first minute she had reappeared in Soul Society and she had battled to the death. She still remembered the exhilarating breaths, bruises, and sweat of that battle, and she knew it made her body tingle violently.

However, she had not come to Yoruichi to enact shameful fantasies or stay frozen stiff. In fact it was mainly out of concern, as Yoruichi hadn't appeared for weeks. Supposedly the outsiders were preparing to leave and she hadn't been seen for a while, cooped up in her quarters.

Yoruichi was certainly a wild and unpredictable sort, but it seemed quite out of character for her to be reclusive like this.

Soifon sighed, tapping her foot impatiently as she wondered when Yoruichi would answer the knock she had landed on the door and if she'd be late for the Captain's Meeting that would surely be called this morning.

* * *

A lithe black cat hopped on the rooftops of Seireitei, pausing only for a moment as it glimpsed Soifon. 

_I am sorry…little Fon, but I cannot involve you in this…if what I felt approaching Seireitei was real and not a figment of my fatigue, then this is far beyond your power. I've done enough brooding on the past; I need to investigate this matter personally…_

She had felt these deceptive spiritual presences popping up around Seireitei, distinctively familiar, but so slight and quick that she doubted anyone else had felt them or thought them significant other than one of the thousands of spiritual presences latent in all Shinigami. She could barely feel that single, familiar spiritual presence. It seemed to faintly exist every few minutes and then disappear.

The sleek feline took one last look at Soifon and then continued full speed, its eyes determined and fierce.

* * *

Rukia grunted, coughing blood as she tried to get up from yet another rough kick to the gut. Whoever this stranger was, he was dressed in what seemed to be Shinigami attired. Captain's robes even! She hadn't seen his back, but logic would point to the fact that the number of this fellow's division probably lay there. 

Logic however did not apply. She had never seen this man in her life. He was no Shinigami, she knew it wasn't possible.

She couldn't even feel his spiritual presence. The only explanation for that were that he was increasing his spiritual power in short bursts with each attack and then decreasing them when not attacking, so quickly that she could not even sense it.

But that couldn't be possible. There couldn't be anyone that fast. Was this being a Hollow!? Or a trick of Aizen? But why had it come for her, and how could she defeat it?

How had it even gotten into Seireitei!?

She hardly had time for anymore questions, the man being directly behind her like he had been the whole time.

_Now that was definitely shunpo…so fast I couldn't even react to it…This man…he can't be human…but he can't be a Shinigami…I don't even see a weapon on him…it's impossible…where did he get those clothes?_

"My, you're a rather slow cow, hmmm?"

"Bastard!"

She whirled around, grunting angrily.

"Destructive Art: 33, Blue Fire, Crash Down!"

A massive burst of destructive energy flew straight out of her outstretched hands at his smirking face.

He only laughed, ducking in a quick move that seemed utterly easy. As if the kidō she had used was child's play.

"Is that the best you can do? Let me answer you one better!"

He held out his hand in her direction, smirking.

"Destructive Art: 95, Lighting Genesi -"

Rukia fell backwards, her eyes widening in terror at the spiritual pressure that the man had been collecting for such a high level spell. It didn't even seem that he had planned to chant it either.

"Never mind…the kidō actually. I think I'm getting carried away…if I attack you like that there may only be enough Kuchiki to fit in a dust pan to take back. Little Sōsuke would be quiet annoyed though…maybe I should kill you just to get on his nerves?"

She stared at him hatefully, thinking feverishly on what she could do to attack or escape this menace.

"Who the hell are you?! Are you man? Beast? Shinigami? Where is your zanpakutō, if you are, and why are you attacking me?"

"You are not worthy of seeing Inazuma unveiled. You are not even worthy of being slain or tortured. What a pity! Is this what Seireitei has fallen to? Has the Kuchiki line devolved so low since little Byakuya?"

"How…do you know these things?! How do you know my brother?! Identify yourself, bastard!"

The man sneered and reappeared alongside her before she could even blink, giving her a brutal punch in the stomach.

"You are not worthy of hearing my name either."

She gasped for air, her eyes bulging as she fell to her hands and knees and spit blood.

"And here I thought I'd have a challenge. You're not even making me sweat."

He sneered, grabbing her by the neck and pulling her up to face level, her feet dangling a bit off the ground as she gasped for air.

"No, I won't kill you, you're not worthy of that. But you're coming with me."

Rukia spit blood in his face, gasping a she struggled in his iron grip.

Suddenly however, something came over his face and he released her, pushing her aside roughly and flash stepping away just as a massive stream of what seemed to be glowing beautiful pink cherry blossoms slammed hard into the ground the man had once been standing.

"Hmm!?"

The man had flash stepped to the rooftop of one of the nearby buildings above Rukia, who was lying passed out on the ground.

In front of him, having just flash stepped seconds after the queer attack of cherry blossoms, was a tall and noble looking man with black hair meticulously drawn into a white headpiece and attire that would identify him as a Captain of the Gotei 13.

"Who are you to decide who is worthy and not worthy, cursed Okami!? If you doubt the Kuchiki line then I, Byakuya Kuchiki will make you pay a pound of flesh personally."

The man sneered, staring at Byakuya.

"Little Byakuya…It seems you've grown up. Are you still as slow as you always were?"

Byakuya materialized right behind the man, who seemed startled. Byakuya's blade Senbonzakura was already drawn at pointed at the man's back.

"'Slow' enough to kill you, Kaworu."

* * *

Tōshirō Hitsugaya stood over the resting Momo Hinamori and felt a terrible sense of dread and responsibility. 

The responsibility had been much as an inheritor of the style of the Dragon Hyōrinmaru, to be one of the Three Dragons was a enormous and powerful responsibility. It was said that the only other wielder of such zanpakutō was Yamamoto-Genryūsai and his Ryūjin Jakka. This was odd, as there were supposed to be three of these Dragons but Mayuri's records had said that the other wielder was dead and lost to the records.

For one of the Three Dragons to be defeated was a terrible shame, regardless of the circumstances or his age.

Regardless, the boost in responsibility and power that he had undertaken in being the youngest Captain of the Gotei 13…perhaps it had been too much for him?

He thought that he operated at his best in a sphere of logic, detachment, order, and civility; he thought that he handled his responsibility as Captain to his best capability.

After all, 10th Division depended on him.

But hadn't Momo depended on him as well? And what of Seireitei depending on him as the only Captain to have encountered Aizen's plans before any other.

He had failed both aspects miserably. Momo was left scarred. It wouldn't have been as bad if the scars were only skin deep, but no…they lay deep and painful in her psyche, he knew that.

Perhaps the whispers of his youth, of his arrogance, perhaps they were true.

She had never thought them valid, however, and as he glanced down at her delicate sleeping face he could still hear her voice.

_A young crafty boy with a rather snide voice and brilliant white hair sat beside a young girl in a pink kimono, the both of them slurping up noodles as dawn approaches._

_The young girl glanced at the boy, sighing as she noticed his eyes boring intently into the noodles he was devouring. Yet to her they also seemed to dwell on something else._

_Something distant. _

"_You dream of being one of those Shinigami…don't you?"_

"_Heh, why, do YOU want to become one?"_

"_Oh shush Shiro-chan…you know why I ask…I see your eyes when they enter the city…so full of...they're so serious…it's not like you."_

"_Hah, maybe…maybe…but what do you care?"_

"_I…I've decided I want to become one too…"_

"_You? Bed-wetter Momo?"_

"_Oh don't be a dolt, Shiro…I'm not a little baby anymore and neither are you…"_

_He hummed lowly in response, returning to his noodles though the girl seemed to still be dwelling on the matter. She continued speaking, much to the boy's curt surprise._

"_But…Shiro-chan…promise me…if we do make it into the Shinigami…we have to promise to protect each other…it's dangerous you know…"_

_The young boy only grunted, slurping up a bundle of noodles, with one hanging out of the corner of his mouth as he lazily responded in an almost patronizing tone. _

"_I knew it; you're scared as a baby!"_

_She frowned, but he only smiled broadly, slapping her on the back.  
"Don't worry, Momo…You worry too much! We'll be fine, especially with me around!"_

Hitsugaya's face was encumbered with terrible emotion when slight footsteps behind him interrupted his trance, and he was glad his back was to the door so that no one could see his face.

Rangiku peeked into the room, whispering respectfully.

"Captain? The Captain's Meeting will be beginning soon…don't you think it's better that you-"

"Yes, I know, thank you Lieutenant Matsumoto."

Hitsugaya gave a short sigh, but this sigh was kept inside. He could not allow himself to be seen in an uncollected state. After all, no matter how young some thought him, no matter how arrogant, no matter the mistakes he had made…

No matter…he had the present and future to think of, the past would just weigh him down.

After all, there were many who depended on him, and he would never let them down again, not as long as he drew breathe and Hyōrinmaru lay at his hip.

He nodded to Rangiku, who seemed mentally occupied and uncharacteristically nervous. She had her own problems after all…Gin…she had been drinking heavily as of late, and though he didn't show it overtly, he worried for her.

His face was collected now, responsible, and firm. As a Captain should be.

"Yes, let us go, Lieutenant."

_"Admiration is the emotion furthest from understanding."_

_Weren't you the one who said that, Aizen? I will prove you incorrect with my own hand. Momo was no doll to toss aside._

* * *

**Hueco Mundo **

**Las Noches**

Aizen sat silently on his white throne, overlooking the large chambers he was in. Presently Kaname Tōsen had entered, bowing to him and then staring at him silently. If he were staring, being blind and all.

"You may speak, Kaname. What is on your mind?"

"Nothing too pressing, Aizen-sama, I simply wonder if it was wise to send that reckless fool of a man to capture the Kuchiki girl. He may be a Shinigami, but I hardly understand what you see in him or how he dares speak to you so brashly. He may have defeated Grimmjow, but that is hardly anything worth-"

"Silence Kaname, I will reply. There are some in the world who are worthy of my interest, and that is a great honor, if you can frame that next to my eventual fate as lord of all. That Shinigami interests me greatly…He was my mentor in that cursed city, you know…so long ago."

Aizen paused.

"He seems to have gotten far stronger, if such a thing is possible for that wretched old man's son, but he is still nothing compared to Kyōka Suigetsu. While he never glimpsed my initial release, he is still nothing but a pawn…As for his worthiness…I would say I felt my blood boil and skin crawl seeing him even now. He was known as 'Okami', once, long ago. What a swift slayer of enemies he was! Pity he is so lowly compared to me now."

Kaname nodded slowly, trying to reply.

"I see…so they interest you? If you think he can bring back this Kuchiki, then you must be correct."

"There are others who may interest me, Kaname…those outsiders were far more intriguing than the entirety of the Gotei 13. That brash young man…the young female with the perplexing powers…the Quincy…and that other one…Oh, they may be significantly worthy of our interest in the near future."

Tōsen nodded.

"I see now, Aizen-sama."

"Indeed you do. You are dismissed, Kaname."

* * *

**Tokyo, Japan**

**Karakura Town, Urahara Shop**

"_You're mad, do you know that, to stand up to the rest of the Gotei 13?! I may be you friend, but this is madness…You'll die! What of your fath-_"

"_Speak not of him, Kisuke…or you will make me your enemy as well."_

Urahara stiffened, gripping the pipe that was lazily in his lip, his eyes wide as if he had had a sudden seizure. He could even feel Benihime trembling inside his sword cane. She felt it too…Where was Yoruichi Shihouin? Still in Soul Society, probably.

But to one of the so-called Three Prodigies, the spiritual presence was unmistakable.

_That…spiritual presence…faint…but…_

"Urahara? Is there something wrong?"

Ururu had spoken, breaking him out of his concentration, but he only gave her his lazy smile.

"No, nothing at all, little Ururu…"

_It matters but little that I barely escaped Seireitei…it matters but little that I am exiled from Soul Society…if what I suspect is correct, then I have to warn them all, especially Ichigo Kurosaki…knowing him…_

He suddenly rose, startling Ururu, and made his way down the main hall of his store, shouting briefly.

"Tessai…prepare for dangai_…_we move tonight..."

"Sir?"

_Knowing him…knowing him…but can even Yoruichi compose herself in front of the love she betrayed before he slices her in two? What terrible folly. The three dragons are all intact…_ _Hyōrinmaru, Inazuma, __Ryūjin Jakka…_

Urahara turned away, ignoring Tessai's curious glances, whispering fiercely to himself.

"What do you seek from returning from the grave you should have stayed inside for eternity, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai?"

* * *

Hope ya'll enjoyed that chapter…stick with me, keep reading and reviewing and I hope I give you a good Bleach fanfic. Maybe if this one goes well I'll do some more later, when it's done. Though I have many chapters planned for this fic, so that's way down the line.

Anyway, see you next chapter.


	3. Vox Populi

Well, not many reviews in general, but it's not just Bleach…a lot of anime fanfics don't seem to be getting as many reviews…

But that's alright, I'm not complaining, to the few that are reading and to any new readers, welcome, enjoy yourself, hope I don't disappoint with this.

This chapter will be a bit enlightening, I hope, it'll shine a bit of a light into the past of this mysterious Kaworu and his friends.

For those who don't know my style, Italics are usually a character thinking OR flashing back. 

In this chapter, there's going to be a rather long flash back to previous history, so keep that in mind.

I'll be updating this as well as I can.

Let's get this started!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc.. Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

**Soul Society **

**Seireitei**

Rukia gasped, slowly trying to pull her bruised body up before she lapsed back into unconsciousness.

She had no idea why her wounds felt so painful. This man hadn't even drawn a weapon or seemed to have possessed one. He had defeated her with simple hand-to-hand combat.

How pitiful! If Ichigo could see her…Ichigo…Byakuya…Byakuya!

Her eyes widened as she glimpsed the empty courtyard and buildings around her, showing no sign of wear and tear.

Her brother…and the man were gone…

She sighed, the pain of breathing significant as she slowly fingered her chest.

_Probably…a rib or two…_

She just barely remembered the blow. And that man's eyes…so full of…killing intent.

She remembered now...the horror of it all.

_He held out his hand in her direction, smirking._

"_Destructive Art: 95, Lighting Genesi -"_

_Rukia fell backwards, her eyes widening in terror at the spiritual pressure that the man had been collecting for such a high level spell. It didn't even seem that he had planned to chant it either._

"_Never mind…the kidō actually. I think I'm getting carried away…if I attack you like that there may only be enough Kuchiki to fit in a dust pan to take back. Little Sōsuke would be quiet annoyed though…maybe I should kill you just to get on his nerves?"_

_She stared at him hatefully, thinking feverishly on what she could do to attack or escape this menace._

"_Who the hell are you?! Are you man? Beast? Shinigami? Where is your zanpakutō, if you are, and why are you attacking me?"_

"_You are not worthy of seeing Inazuma unveiled. You are not even worthy of being slain or tortured. What a pity! Is this what Seireitei has fallen to? Has the Kuchiki line devolved so low since little Byakuya?"_

"_How…do you know these things?! How do you know my brother?! Identify yourself, bastard!"_

_The man sneered and reappeared alongside her before she could even blink, giving her a brutal punch in the stomach._

"_You are not worthy of hearing my name either."_

_She gasped for air, her eyes bulging as she fell to her hands and knees and spit blood._

"_And here I thought I'd have a challenge. You're not even making me sweat."_

Who HAD been that man? How had he known of her brother and the Kuchiki line? Or a better question, how the hell had he gotten into Soul Society? This was madness…

_Byakuya…his wounds…there's no way he's one hundred percent…and that man…I couldn't even follow his movements the slightest bit…and he wasn't even fighting seriously! Bya…bya…_

She coughed up blood, falling to her knees as tears flowed down her face.

"Bya…kuya…"

Suddenly she felt comforting arms wrap around her and she turned, seeing her brother's face smiling back at her as he lifted her up on his shoulder.

"B-Brother…"

She sighed, feeling the comforting warmth as her eyes closed and she passed out.

* * *

Yoruichi sighed, staring at Rukia who was draped around her shoulder. 

The poor girl had passed out mumbling and muttering in pain before Yoruichi was able to ask her what happened.

_Could this…be connected to what I felt this morning? Could HE…no…no…he's dead…he's dead…_

Yoruichi Shihouin smiled with what seemed to be confidence as she made sure Rukia had a safe spot on her shoulder and pretended to flash step out.

_I need to…take her to get treated…and to find out what happened…I also need to make sure Ichigo doesn't go crazy ripping the whole place apart when he finds out Rukia's been injured._

However, there seemed far more in Yoruichi's mind and face than just these subsurface thoughts and the surfacing confident smile.

Her lips trembled and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as she clenched a fist and bit her lip fiercely.

_It…cannot…be…Okami, my love…you are dead, aren't you?_

Yoruichi turned, staring up at the sky.

_After all…I killed you with my own hands…_

* * *

**Many Centuries Ago**

**Soul Society **

**Seireitei**

"_Don't you understand?! This is madness! Slaughter! They're living beings who deserve our respect!"_

_Urahara sighed, shaking his head as Yoruichi watched morosely from the corner._

"_Kaworu you don't understand the grave danger of this matter._

"_Oh, Mr. Research, can you put a value on their lives? I bet you can…you and my father, authorizing the wholesale GENOCIDE OF THEM ALL! I won't be a part of this…I don't care…"_

_Urahara rose, staring with evident fatigue at __Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai._

"_Do you have any idea what you're saying? If you weren't his son you would already be imprisoned for treason!"_

"_Precisely…"_

_Kaworu clenched his fist._

"_Precisely…why I refuse to be a part of this madness any longer. Uncle Gendo refuses as well!"_

_Kisuke sighed._

"_Kaworu…We two are your best friends, are we not? Do you not understand that the Quincy unsettle the balance of our worlds? They tip the scale…they do not purify, they DESTROY!"_

"_Still, that doesn't justify putting them all to death! And my division in the head of the battle as well, thrusting in and ready to kill them all, huh? That's the plan? For me to shed innocent blood? Father acted as if it were an honor!"_

"_Kaworu…please…listen to us…Like I said, we're your best friends…trust me…these feelings you have will pass…The Quincy are DIFFERENT from us."_

"'_We'?! Since when do you speak for HER?!"_

_Kawuro turned and glanced into Yoruichi's eyes, expecting some sort of response. However Yoruichi only looked down, feeling shameful inside for abandoning her lover. _

"_I…I cannot believe this…you too, Ichi-chan? Hahahahaaha…what a…what a revelation."_

_Kaworu turned and stared at his two friends, the two other members of the Three Prodigies and his eyes bulged. In his mind he saw them glancing at each other, conspiring…their bodies…their minds…together…against him…betraying him…_

"_Enough of this…you two have made your choices…So be it. I will halt this genocide myself, even if I have to kill my father in the process. One life means nothing in the face of thousands."_

_And with that, the one nicknamed as 'Okami', son of the great General Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai disappeared in a flashing spiral of dust and smoke._

* * *

_Kisuke Urahara sighed as he slowly adjusted his flowing captain's garments, standing at the gate where he knew the young man who had once been his friend would arrive._

_They stared at each other, silent until Kaworu stopped in front of Kisuke._

"_Captain Urahara…get out of my way…"_

"_I'm afraid I cannot, Captain Yamamoto. What you intend to do is treason and a danger to the entirety of the Shinigami society."_

_Kaworu's eyes widened and he pressed himself into Kisuke's face until his forehead was pressed gently against Kisuke's forehead in a desperately genuine gesture of brotherhood and misery._

_He whispered their faces only inches apart._

"_Please…Kisuke…don't make me fight you…"_

_Urahara shivered, tears running down his young face._

"_Kaworu…think of Yoruichi."_

_Suddenly, Kaworu's eyes were no longer kind and he head butted his forehead hard into Kisuke's nose, sending the Shinigami falling backwards with blood splattered on his face._

"_Think of her?! Oh, I bet you think of her all the time, don't you…Urahara Kisuke? You'd love for me to die…so you could have…"_

_He bent over and leaned in to whisper in Urahara's ears._

"_Those…smooth…supple brown curves…oh I've seen your glances…I know you want her…covet her even…what would you do without me in the way, hmmm?"_

"_Shut up! SHUT UP! It's not like that, Kaworu!"_

_Urahara rose angrily, his hand reaching to his hip, though it halted as Kaworu smiled and spoke._

"_I SEE how it is. You would draw Benihime against me, would you? Either way, you have no problem with killing me where I stand."  
_

"_Kaworu…please…I have no choice. Think of your actions, I do not wish to draw my blade against you. But you give me no choice."_

"_Ah…calm, happy little Kisuke, always so well loved and adored for his research and blah blah…you speak of not having a choice? Will you allow the collar that is the law of this land rein you in? There are times when a man must betray even the laws of his own home to do what is right."_

"_Then I do now what is right…I defend General Yamamoto and Seireitei. That is my duty."_

"_So be it."_

_They both disappeared, quickly flash stepping, though one could hear angry screams and grunts of conflict as they hurtled about faster than the eye._

* * *

_General Yamamoto sighed, sitting in his seat in his large chambers and watching as his only son open wide the front door and stepped inside._

"_Why do you disturb me?"_

"_You know why, father…Tell the squads to turn back! I will not be a part of this murder, but I will also not allow anyone else to commit it as well. There are other ways of dealing with the Quincy. They are living and breathing, they do not deserve to be stepped upon like mere vermin!"_

"_There are laws that must not be forsaken…laws that keep the balance of the world and our society."_

"_Laws that condemn an entire race to death?!"_

"_You disappoint me, Kaworu. I had hoped you would one day be a worthy successor. I thought you of all people could understand the worthiness of law and order."_

_Kaworu's face darkened, and he shook his head._

"_You presume to call this law? This forceful brutality? This killing? I KNOW now what law means in this existence. Law means pain. Let me show you my law, father."_

_He reached at his hip and pulled out a small_ _tantō, which he held in front of him confidently. However it was clear his hands were trembling._

"Kowasu, _Inazuma!"_

_His father made no move, the wistful man simply staring at his son and sighing._

"_You would draw your blade against me?"_

"_You're out of line father! Uncle agrees with me!"_

"_Oh, brother Gendo? He has been taken care of already, I'm afraid."_

"_Taken care of?! Father?!"_

"_The penalty for resisting the laws of the Shinigami society are severe, I'm afraid."_

"_Shut up! You have no heart, embroiled in your laws and convenient moralities!"_

_The old man only snorted, shaking his head._

"_What do you know, child?! What do you know of sacrifice? Of strengthening and defending the Soul Society all of your life? You play these child's games still, bluffing and biting!"_

_Kaworu strode forward determined towards his father, who in response rose as well, reaching for the sword at his own hip._

"_You will realize that life is complex and unfair. That sometimes, lives must be taken for the world to be balanced!"_

_A massive burst of flame hurtled all around them as the old man spoke these words, but Kaworu seemed mostly unharmed. _

"_It's called slaughter!"_

"_It is called order, boy! This isn't show and tell! This isn't a child's game! This is ORDER. THIS IS PUNISHMENT!"_

_Kaworu only smirked, charging forward to meet his father's outstretched blade._

"_Show and tell? Let me show you something, and tell you something as well."_

_Their weapons clashed as Kaworu hissed out his angry words._

"_This, that I show you, will be the last thing those eyes glimpse. What I tell you, is spoken to my weapon, not to you. BANKAI!"_

_Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai's old, wistful, and usually supremely calm eyes suddenly twisted into surprise and confusion._

_The massive ivory hall buckled and shook with the explosions that would follow._

* * *

_Kisuke Urahara sighed as he remembered Kaworu's words before he had slammed his fist lighting quick into Urahara's stomach and sent him crashing hard into the ground before he could parry with Benihime or any sort of tactic._

_He coughed up some blood, but his mind was not on his wounds, as they seemed far from fatal, just rather painful. _

"_You fool…what did you say…before you departed? 'Sometime there are more important things in life than law and duty'?"_

_Urahara sighed._

"_And then…what of your life? Do you not value it, Kaworu? You throw it away, far too soon...my friend..."_

_Kisuke slumped over, passing out from the exhaustion of the battle he had fought and the overwhelming fatigue these emotions instilled in him.  
_

_The only response to his words was the eerie silence of the buildings around him, most of them having been damaged in his tussle with Kawuro._

* * *

_She had waited for him, after hearing what had happened. She had waited for him. She remembered the orders she had been given._

_She could not refuse the orders of one Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai._

_She could not refuse the lips of one Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai. _

_Was love all one needed? She trembled in supreme confusion, her usual confident and joking self torn away for the last few weeks of this crisis._

"_They ride out…tonight…don't they…to erase the Quincy from the annals of time?"_

_She had barely noticed the fact that Kaworu had already arrived, and as his words registered, she turned._

_Yoruichi tried to stifle the gasp that was issued at glimpsing his appearance._

_He was covered in blood, and she noticed deep sword wounds all across his chest and torso. It seemed as if most of his clothes were burnt off as well, and she could actually see severe burn marks on his back as he rounded the corner._

_Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai had failed. But Shigekuni had allowed his son to live, regardless of the supreme treason._

_Or so the rest of the Soul Society thought. _

_Yoruichi Shihouin knew better. She had heard General Yamamoto's words to her._

_He had promptly informed her of her duties as head of Special Forces in Soul Society. He had informed her that there was no forgiveness or leniency when one crossed the rules of this world._

_She had noticed, though tried to avoid making it obvious she was staring, that the wistful old Yamamoto had also been dealt some rather painful wounds though overall he didn't look worst for wear. _

_Kaworu strode forward, not hesitating as he took Yoruichi Shihouin in his wounded and dirty arms and pressed her into his embrace. Her head rested against his deeply breathing chest, where she felt his heartbeat in her skull. _

_His hand slowly rested against her neck, caressing her skin as he let out a sigh._

_His voice was almost unrecognizable to her now; it seemed supremely tired, resigned, and hoarse._

"_My Ichi-chan…if I were to run away from this place…would you join me?"_

_He rested his fingers gently on her chin, lifting up her face to gaze into his._

"_Would you? Leave this place, this land of duty and law, this land where you were raised…leave this land where you hold such supreme position…leave this land for your heart and mine?"_

_Yoruichi trembled, tears running down her face._

"_I know what I have to do…my Kaworu…my Okami…"_

_Kaworu smiled lovingly, taking this as an affirmative response, his hand reaching to pull her in a kiss._

_Suddenly, however, his brow furrowed, and he sighed, shaking his head._

"_I'm sorry."_

"_I…understand…but…did it have to be so…ruthless, Ichi-chan?"_

_The young man fell to the ground and coughed up violent streams of his own crimson blood, staring at the blade sticking out of his chest. The blade Yoruichi had stuck into him._

_He stared up Yoruichi, who was a trembling, sobbing mess, and his shivering right hand reached out and brushed the hair out of her eyes, smiling._

"_Shh…don't cry Yoruichi…I understand…only following…orders…"_

"_Kaworu!"_

"_Sh...I…don't know…you and Kisuke…how…long can you…survive…following the archaic laws and fool orders of…Soul Society and…the Gotei 13? How long…before you are forced to escape…or killed…or exiled…"_

_She only shook silently as crushing sobs overtook her, as his gentle caressing hand brushed against her soft lips and face._

_Suddenly however it took hold of her chin, roughly, painfully, with energy that should not have existed in a dying man._

_He pulled Yoruichi forward roughly by the chin so that she was inches away from his lips, her own breath washing against his short and hitched dying breaths. _

_Kaworu licked his lips, moving forward so that his lips were nearly touching Yoruichi, yet he halted before they met and smiled sardonically. _

_Yoruichi trembled in fear, noticing something in his eyes. Killing intent. Hate. They bored into her skull, mixed with sentiments that could have been love and morose abandonment of life._

"_Let me…teach you a valuable lesson…_ _Yoruichi Shihouin…there is nothing in this world of worth…NOTHING! Love is a mere foolish fancy, as we both know well now. It is so easy to betray love…so easy to fall weak because of reliance on the human heart."_

_She flinched at his words._

"_As are all other adventures in emotion and frailty…useless…a waste of time, this existence."_

_To her surprise he rose, pushing her off of him and looking down imperiously at her as he yanked out the blade embedded in his chest in one clean motion._

_It clattered to the floor and blood began to rush unimpeded from Kaworu's fatal wound._

_As he stared down at her, he smiled, and then spit in her face, speaking slowly in contempt.  
_

_"It is true, that which I have revealed to you; there is no God, no universe, no human race, no earthly life, no heaven, no hell. It is all a dream - a grotesque and foolish dream. Nothing exists but you. And you are but a thought - a vagrant thought, a useless thought, a homeless thought, wandering forlorn among the empty eternities!"_

_And with that he turned, taking one step…two steps…three st-…no…he fell at two…and he never rose again. _

_She rushed over to him, seeing the blood pooling around his unmoving form. She could almost see her own reflection in that pool of liquid. _

_One her face, the saliva that he had spat was mixed heavily with blood and her own tears.  
_

_Yoruichi's heart wrenching screams could be heard all around the already fragile Soul Society._

* * *

**Back In The Present Era **

**Soul Society **

**Seireitei**

Byakuya's eyes widened imperceptivity as he felt another burst of pain and rush of wind around him, stumbling backwards from a noticeable and painful new ache in his chest.

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai had gotten faster. Much faster. Byakuya would never admit it to himself or to his opponent, but he hadn't even _seen_ Kaworu's fist slam into his body or any other sign of the man.

But Byakuya Kuchiki had not trained for centuries and carried on the Kuchiki line proudly for naught. He would defeat this fossil of the past, overcome this foolishness.

Kaworu smirked, the old Captain's robes that indicated him as Captain of Fifth Squad still on him, flapping in the breeze as he stood squarely in front of Byakuya and watched the blood dripping from the Kuchiki's lip.

"You're not bad…Little Byakuya…but I could still kill you in two cigarette's time…probably less. Ukitake didn't train you well enough, I suppose. No matter, he was always father's lesser pupil anyway.

Byakuya's eyes widened once more, this time in noble outrage as he held his blade firmly in front of himself.

"Save your words for the abyss, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai! _Chire, _Senbonzakura!"

Byakuya's blade burst and scattered into thousands of small things resembling beautiful cherry blossoms, wafting about around the two competitors.

Byakuya didn't even raise an arm, only staring at Kaworu with thinly veiled contempt as a massive stream of blossoms flew straight from the ground in front of Byakuya and crashed hard towards former Captain Kaworu.

* * *

Hope you're enjoying this chapter. Sorry if it had too much FLASHBACKING going on…

I just sort of wanted to give some of the story behind the three friends, Kaworu, Yoruichi, and Urahara. There's always a triangle of friendship, romance, and tension between all of them.

Though keep in mind, the history on all those events isn't written in stone…we'll see a lot more of what happened in the later chapters…because I certainly figure some characters may have differing views on what really happened…like how is Kaworu even around? Wasn't he killed?

Anyway, no worries if you got bored by this chapter, as you can see by the last part of this chapter, Byakuya is just getting warmed up!

Can he defeat someone who is supposedly even older, more experienced, and of a more noble line than even himself…Byakuya being someone who often seems to boast of his noble lineage and history…even if it's not overtly. 

We will see.

See you next chapter, I hope!


	4. Ex Nihilo Nihil Fit

Remember guys, I always appreciate and dig your input and reviews.

That's why I've noticed a common line:

"For such a unique storyline, the pairings seem predictable."

I understand what you guys mean…

While I haven't been around the Bleach FF scene, I can only assume IchigoxRukia and HitsuxMomo are so widespread that they become tiring, yes?

Well, there are three things for me to mention…

First of all…there are no finalized permanent pairings right now. Sure, there was a bit of HitsuxMomo and IchigoxRukia, but I haven't decided anything at all for permanent romantic pairings in this fic…

Except for the obvious YoruichixKawuro, but that's in the past. That's the only actual pairing. And maybe some implied YoruichixUrahara (Unless that was all in Kaworu's head! But they've always seemed to have a pretty deep relationship. Perhaps they're nothing more but really old friends who shared a lot of experiences and then later helped each other escape Soul Society)

Secondly, like I've said before…I'm totally new to making Bleach fanfiction. Not new to fanfiction itself, or anime fanfiction though, I wrote plenty of Evangelion stuff. But when it comes to Bleach, I'm a total fanfiction rookie.

So I guess I've sort of been leaning towards the predictable mainstream pairing possibilities because I'm not really confident enough right now to do something out of right field. 

But chapter by chapter I'm slowly becoming more comfortable writing Bleach and enjoying it a lot more…I hope you are too.

Thirdly, I'm not actually sure what a "unique" pairing you guys might enjoy would be.

I mean, IchigoxRukia is overdone…but IchigoxInoue is overdone too, right? Same with IshidaxInoue…

So I guess I need your help…

Do give me your input on what pairings you'd LIKE to see. Obviously this isn't a "Choose Your Own Adventure", but I take all input and suggestions seriously. There's a good chance if you suggest a favorite pairing you might see it.

  
And there's a good chance I might pull a few pairings straight out of nowhere. When it comes to fanfiction, I've always adored contemplating and using the rarest and most unpredictable pairings. 

Oh, and by the way, a few hints on the storyline…

Ishida fans, Kenpachi fans, Arrancar fans, Inoue fans, all you character-fans, worry not! I plan to incorporate importantly a great deal of Bleach characters! Don't fret if they haven't shown up much yet.

In fact, this may go beyond Kawuro's Arc as I steer Bleach into territory of my own choosing.

Enjoy yourselves!

Let's get this started!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc.. Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

_Hmmmph! Always running…running…Speed will get you nowhere without attack!  
_

Byakuya's glare bore holes in Kaworu's chest as Kaworu gracefully ducked under another stream of cherry blossom-like blades, flash stepping away when they reversed their path to hit him in the back.

Byakuya was getting quite annoyed, definitely. This fellow had been dodging his attacks as if there was no effort needed, flash stepping to and fro around the crumbling courtyard with a permanent smile on his face. He hadn't even said a word.

_Better that way…time to finish this...the speed is more than doubled when I use my hands to direct it…no need for Senbonzakura Kageyoshi._

"Hmmph! Not bad!"

Kaworu flash stepped to the ground, crouching and leaping away from another stream of blossoms which lead to yet another, the beautiful crimson things sprouting into massive branched pathways all seeking him out.

He backpedaled swiftly, smirking as he continually flash stepped backwards over and over away from the now united stream of blossoms charging directly at him.

Byakuya only stared on, swinging his arm up and increasing the thickness and speed of the blast.

_There is no escape any longer._

Kaworu grunted in pain, realizing he had flash stepped backwards into a wall behind him, coughing as the stream of blossoms closed in on him from all around with his back to the wall.

"It is over, former Captain Yamamoto-Genryūsai. Farewell."

Kaworu grunted, staring at the blossoms as they slammed into his arm, which he'd swung up to meet them along with a massive explosion of spiritual pressure all around him.

Byakuya blinked away the dust from the explosion that ensued, stumbling backwards, though confident and relieved ever so slightly the fight had ended.

As the dust cleared however, Byakuya's eyes widened with each reveal of what had happened. The wall behind Kaworu was unharmed, as was former Captain Kaworu himself.

His arm however, was sizzling, and there seemed to be a few slight scratches on it.

"Ouch! That even stung a little! My, my, perhaps I underestimated you, Little Byakuya!"

_He…deflected m_y_… Senbonzakura blossoms…with his bare hands?_

He barely seemed to be injured in the process either. Byakuya had just barely managed to catch the massive eruption of spiritual energy that Kaworu had raised when the blast had been deflected, but it confused even his sharp mind. And then it had simply disappeared once more, Kaworu obviously suppressing his spiritual levels.

"Impossible!"

Byakuya knew well from Ichigo's fight that miracles happened, nothing was impossible, and that his noble lineage could be trumped.

But _THIS_?! He was being toyed with. This he would NOT stand for.

Even if he could still feel the wounds from his last fight aching and unhealed, that was no excuse for this mockery.

"All things are possible in this world of ruin. My turn."

Kaworu grinned, reaching and pulling out a small tantō from his clothes.

Byakuya was unimpressed.

He remembered having seen Kaworu's zanpakutō before when he had been a child under Ukitake's tutorship, a simple tantō that left him unimpressed and wondering what the initial release was at the very least. It certainly did not seem useful for any real combat in its original state. Rather pitiful almost, like a small gilded little knife. What damage could he do with that?

"I will not allow you to see Inazuma…however…"

Byakuya's eyes widened suddenly, and he trembled as Kaworu's voice and form suddenly continued the sentence right behind him.

_This…speed?_

"…however, I will allow you to feel Inazuma's anger. Bathe in it. Kowasu, _Inazuma_!"

Voices in the back of his head screamed that this was not possible. The wounds inflicted all over deeply on his body could not be the product of a simple short blade like the tantō that Kaworu bore.

All over his body, deep wounds and slashes, all seemingly delivered in seconds with a… tantō?! His Captain's robes were ripped to shreds and he felt his balance unsure, weak from the blood loss as his wounds suddenly erupted in pain and thick sprays of crimson blood on the courtyard rubble.

How long had Byakuya lorded his noble pride and strength over others? How had it been so brutally smashed away in a matter of minutes?

_Isn't…possible…not like this…_

However these voices were quickly flushed out as Byakuya's eyes rolled into the back of his head from the terrible pain and he fell over, unconsciousness washing over him.

* * *

"What was that?! Inoue? You heard it too, didn't you?"

Orihime looked up, her eyes widening.

"Yes…it sounded like…an explosion?"

"I felt some spiritual energy as well…I wonder if something's happening…"

_What if…Rukia?_

He was overreacting, he knew, but he hadn't seen her at all and he was leaving soon.

Orihime smiled.

"I'm sure those Shinigami can handle it, Ichigo…sit back down, we were having fun..I have something to tell you.."

Ichigo glanced down at her and sighed.

"Another time, maybe Inoue. I can't not go check this out. Chances are, Kenpachi is out smashing walls and looking for me."

And with that he was gone, grabbing his massive blade and dashing down the street.

Inoue watched his retreating form and sighed, trying hard to hush the confused and dark feelings inside of her usually light and bubbly form.

_I can't think like that about Rukia…she's my friend…and a good person…but when I see him…with…her…no, that's not right Inoue…_

She put on a cheery smile, turning just in time to see Ishida strolling back down the street.

"Something the matter, Orihime?"

Inoue shook her head, shaking off the feelings of heavy foreboding and misery inside of her. She'd always hid them and drowned them in good cheer and pleasantness.

_Was Ichigo that worried about her? Only her? I feel something…bad…is to happen…_

* * *

For the first time in his life, Byakuya almost felt like crying.

Of course he did not, there were things expected of nobility, such as proud strength and cool detachment.

The pain however…was unbearable…almost as terrible as the shame he felt as he recollected his last conscious memories.

His eyes could barely open into slits, but he could feel the many slashes blown all around him as if by a gentle breeze. They felt exactly as they had when they had been delivered faster than his eyes could see.

A burning, searing pain.

But what disturbed him even more was that none of them seemed to be fatal blows…The former Captain had seemingly toyed with him…making it hurt…but not killing him outright.

His pained eyes could barely make out Captain Retsu Unohana's kind face as she looked over him, and at his other side were the worried and preoccupied eyes of Yoruichi Shihouin.

Yoruichi bent forward, to Retsu's protest, speaking harshly into Byakuya's painful face.

"Tell me, Byakuya…what happened!? Rukia is injured as well…I found her…who did you encounter…what happened?! I need names!"

Yoruichi seemed uncharacteristically unruffled and Retsu found it rather rude and harmful to her patient, tutting unsatisfactorily and touching Yoruichi's shoulder.

However Byakuya strained to rise, falling back down onto his bed with a pained and miserable groan that he suppressed inside.

"Kaw…kam…too…okami…too fast…"

Retsu turned to Yoruichi, sighing as Byakuya fell back into unconsciousness.

"See? All you forced him to do was babble some gibberish, Miss Shihouin …please don't bother my patients, I ask you this."

Yoruichi seemed preoccupied with her own thoughts however. It was probably just a trick of light, but Retsu could've sworn that Yoruichi had gone pale once Byakuya had spoken the word "okami".

"I don't know what you're worried about, but I've already sent Lieutenants Kira and Kotetsu. Do not worry any longer on this. They will find what harmed Captain Kuchiki."

Yoruichi turned away, rather rudely to the polite 4th Division Captain, trying to hold back the trembling absorbing her body.

_No…there was no time for fear…no time…she had to get out there herself…if…if her love had returned then…all anyone sent to that area would find was death…horrible, painful, and without mercy…_

_After all, she could expect no mercy from him now…especially if he hunted both her and Kisuke…she had ripped away his heart, figuratively with her betrayal, literally with her blade…He…_

"He…will come for me now…I…"

She looked down at the small nodachi at her hip. She hadn't used it for centuries…in fact, the last time she had used her zanpakutō was to slice into Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai's body, her greatest love and murder.

She had sworn never to use it again…but perhaps times had changed…she would repent for her crimes, surely, but she wouldn't let this bleached memory of the past ruin Soul Society and weaken it for Aizen just for 'revenge'.

She glanced back at the nodachi, sighing. Mere shunkō and shunpo would no longer be enough for this opponent.

"Yes…he will come for me now…you will have to betray my heart and soul again for the survival of Soul Society, _Hachimitsu_."

* * *

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai stood alone atop the cold building, having hidden his spiritual presence when the medical corps had come and taken away the brutalized form of Byakuya Kuchiki.

_Why had he done that to little Kuchiki? He had made it hurt…purposefully…toyed with this warrior he remembered seeing as a silent but endearing young boy of nobility. He could still remember his glee as he delivered hundreds of quick slashes to the unsuspecting Shinigami Captain in a matter of moments and then appeared behind him._

_Had he not once been a warrior renowned for his mercy and humanity?_

_Where had that gone?_

_Only…hate…hate…hate…hate…hate…_

Kaworu stiffened for a brief moment, clutching his skull as he felt another _episode _striking him.

They had begun the second he had reentered Soul Society. Memories of the past, gripping his skull, making his breathing come short.

These pesky emotions, this pesky existence. How troubling.

"_Benihime__! Okiro!" _

_Kaworu had just barely dodged Urahara's wild and almost dance-like sword style as the fellow Captain cart wheeled through the air and then flash stepped directly behind him._

"_Sorry for this, Kawuro…but you're out of line, you know it damn well…__ Benihime__! NAKEH!"_

_Kaworu flash stepped away just in time as the massive burst of red destructive spiritual energy hammed a building next to him, ripping it to dust._

"_So…you are serious about this!"_

_Urahara landed nimbly in front of him like a cat, rushing forward and sending a flurry of thrusts towards Kaworu, never ceasing the blade rushing even as his breathes came hard._

"_Of course…I am…As I said… I defend General Yamamoto and Seireitei. That is my duty…"_

_They exchanged blows as they spoke and clashed, Urahara's thrusts striking in like a serpent's tongue though Kaworu seemed to be "just barely" dodging all of them._

"_There…are…more things…in life…than duty…Kisuke…perhaps one day you will…discover this…"_

_Kisuke scowled, feeling a rush of hate filling his veins._

"_Don't patronize me! I've got your back against the wall, Kaworu!"_

_He let out a feral growl, flipping forward a few times and swirling around like a ballet dancer as he sent a strong overhand sword swipe straight down at his former friend._

"_IT'S OVE-"_

_His boast was stopped, as was all sound, as Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai caught his Benihime with his open palm with seemingly no trouble. His grip seemed immensely strong, and Kisuke found himself unable to move back or yank his blade out of his friend's hands._

"_What?!"_

"_You are my brother…for that I will not make this hurt…But let me never glimpse your face again, Kisuke Urahara…Good-"_

Kaworu clenched his fists.

"'Goodbye'…I said…but I can sense your spiritual presence out there…somehow, in existence. So you survived, did you, Kisuke? Where are you now, if not Soul Society? I can feel you all…I can kill you all…I'll make it hurt."

_Make it hurt…make it hurt…he hadn't make it hurt back then…had he?_

_He'd had some sort of humanity…a semblance of a soul, a heart, and honorable cause._

_But SHE had ripped it out of his chest…she and his father and Kisuke and all of them…friends, family, lovers…_

_From that day on…_

_The hate…the sheer hate and disrespect for existence for a whole…_

_He felt the distinct urge to obliterate existence in general…it almost made him feel close to Aizen, but he realized that Aizen was simply lusting for delusional god-like positions, not total destruction._

_Sometimes…all this hate…it overwhelmed him…tired him…absorbed him…but…_

"But…we still have to pay back father his gifts…isn't that right, Uncle?"

Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai loomed behind Kaworu suddenly as if he had materialized there, an old grizzled man with a face much like his Gotei 13 General brother. Covered and riddled with the wrinkles and scars of age.

He wore flowing gray robes that were simple yet elegant, and at his hip was a small sheathed jitte.

Gendo slowly rubbed the long scar that he knew ran deep across his chest, slowly letting a thick grunt of affirmation as he spoke his deep and melodious old voice.

"Yes…we must. Sometimes there are blows only brothers should exchange…to the death. It seems…fitting."

"Then go forth…"

"Indeed. Though I advise you to stop chatting to yourself, nephew. It would reveal a frank bit of insanity on your part."

Gendo simply disappeared and Kaworu sighed, turning to the grand white towers of the main castle and Shrine of Penitence, shaking his head.

"How long do you plan to toy with fate, father? Are you so much different from that little child Aizen?"

Suddenly, footsteps behind him. Kaworu stiffened. He had let his guard down.

An unfamiliar, brutish and curious young male voice.

"Who are you?"

Kaworu turned and stared at the newcomer. He was a fellow dressed in the clothing of a Shinigami, though there were some distinct differences. The first thing Kaworu could notice was the fierce orange-strawberry hair and an underlying strange and menacing spiritual presence much like the look on the young man's face.

Nonetheless, Kaworu let out a yawn, replying.

"A true angel of death…The only true angel of death in this Soul Society. These Shinigami are nothing but toy figures for my amusement. Shall I make you dance?"

Ichigo Kurosaki stared intently at this stranger, sizing him up. It looked like he wore Captain's clothing, but Ichigo was sure he'd never seen this fellow before.

Besides, this was the general area where he'd heard the explosion and felt many spiritual presences…including…Rukia.

"What the hell are you talking about? What do you know about Aizen? And why…is there blood on your clothing? Where's Rukia?"

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you…I don't know what squad you're from, but you made a mistake stumbling upon me…I don't like crushing flies…but…"

Ichigo gripped his Zangetsu, grimacing as the odd stranger reached inside his Captain's robes and pulled out a small Tantō.

Ichigo had no idea who this fellow was or what he had to do with the strange spiritual pressure he had felt, but a challenge was a challenge.

But just what did this guy think he could do with a dinky knife like that? It was almost insulting!

Kurosaki gave a confident smirk, swinging out his massive zanpakutō and pointing it at Kaworu with evident bluster as he spoke.

"What do you plan on doing with a little blade like that?"

Kaworu's face revealed no emotion as he spoke, his eyes glazed over in what seemed to be an immense unreadable void of nothingness.

"Make it hurt…"

_Hate…hate…hate…drives me on…_

* * *

Yep, Kaworu seems pretty strong, huh?

He beat Grimmjow off screen, and it seemed as if he did it rather easily as well. He also defeated Rukia with his bare hands and Byakuya with his zanpakutō in unreleased form not to mention deflecting away those Senbonzakura blossom blades like that.

But don't scream unfair, you know. Byakuya was still recovering from the last fight and Kaworu is from the captain generation even before Byakuya. He's one of the three prodigies alongside Yoruichi and Urahara, all three far older and powerful than the more junior captains that came after. If you remember, Yoruichi even called Byakuya "Little Byakuya", as Kaworu does sometimes. 

Keep in mind he was Aizen's original teacher and tutor in Soul Society, though Aizen seems currently confident that he is now far stronger than his original sensei. 

Oh, and you haven't seen much of his true power yet, Kaworu's that is.

I mean, all you know is the name of his zanpakutō _"Inazuma_", the appearance of it when it's normal, and the vocal command for his initial release _"Kowasu" _(Which means to break down or crush in Japanese…)

You haven't actually even seen what his initial release _does_ as I've teasingly either presented it from a defeated character's point of view or cut away to another scene once he uses it. 

Or just not told you. And obviously you haven't seen his bankai, though it's implied he has one when he confronts his father and uses that vocal command.

Oh and by the way, I teasingly revealed the name of Yuruichi's previously unused and barely seen zanpakutō. Since this is a fanfiction, I plan to do some cool things with it. 

See you next chapter. Expect cool Ichigo and Kaworu action, a lot more cool scenes, flashbacks, maybe some Kotetsu, Izura and Urahara...as well as a look deeper into the "old man" accompanying Kaworu. His betrayed uncle, brother to Shikeguni, Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai. He's important and pretty cool, and he was mentioned in the previous chapter.


	5. Canes Pugnaces

I'm writing these chapters quickly…because I'm really into this story…

Kind of bummed that I'm barely getting any reads or reviews though, compared to my other stuff, but I just really like this story so much that I'm almost updating it every other day…

Well, maybe not that fast, but I'm really loving it…it's like my own Bleach arc…I'd love to see this animated…too bad I can't draw for shite…

For the few that actually read and review…thank you…And thanks for replying to my pairings questions…

You'll see Urahara and Yoruichi, but that's a given as there is that Urahara/Kaworu/Yoruichi love triangle mentioned throughout this whole story.

You'll also see Hitsugaya/Hinamori…

But as for Ichigo…

I'm getting people telling me that Ichigo/Rukia is too all over the place, and people saying that it is but that's because it's the most logical pairing.

So I don't know, I tend to agree that Ichigo/Rukia is the most appealing pairing to write for me, but I still haven't concretely drawn any lines with Ichigo…it's still really open to any pairing for him.

Oh, and by the way, a few hints on the storyline…

Ishida fans, Kenpachi fans, Arrancar fans, Inoue fans, all you character-fans, worry not! I plan to incorporate importantly a great deal of Bleach characters! Don't fret if they haven't shown up much yet.

In fact, this WILL go beyond Kawuro's Arc as I steer Bleach into territory of my own choosing.

Bleached Memories won't be ending with Kawuro's Arc…I intend to continue it as this is no filler arc, it will directly affect the Bleach storyline.

Enjoy yourselves!

Let's get this started!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc.. Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

**Hueco Mundo **

**Las Noches**

Szayel Aporro Grantz smiled in grand delusion as he slowly tinkered away at the workshop all around him, testing another piece of equipment he had been playfully experimenting with for weeks.

The massive cannon-like weapon seemed to be like a long tube, and he lifted it, sliding it along his own arm and aiming it at the wall.

_To focus one's spiritual energy in such a destructive fashion…the Quincy do so well…let me see how this concentrates my cero…_

"Hah!"

A massive explosion ripped through the chambers of his laboratory, and when the dust cleared, Szayel sighed.

Brushing away his pink hair from his face and boney spectacle-like hollow mask, he surveyed the damage.

His left arm had been disintegrated.

"Shit! I knew that fucking thing needed more tinkering with!"

_Time to make repairs on myself first._ _I think I need that arm…_

Turning around, he called to a couple of his _Fracción_, beckoning them forward with a malicious look that meant they would be ripped apart if they didn't follow his orders.

Quickly grabbing a few of them, he began to feast, ripping off their limbs and devouring their body parts and flesh.

"Rather messy…I suppose…but useful…hmmm?"

A cold chill ran up Szayel's spine.

_W-What…I didn't even sense him…entering…_

Szayel turned, wiping the _Fracción _flesh droplets off of his chin and looking rather nervously at Sōsuke Aizen who now stood before him.

Aizen's cold stare still unnerved Szayel Aporro Grantz, though he secretly resented the man and hoped one day to craft something marvelous and powerful enough to win his freedom.

Staring now at Aizen, he realized this was terrible unrealistic. The man could paralyze him with a single glance.

"Tinkering around, were you?"

"Y-Yes…Master Aizen…"

"And tell me…how is the present for Kaworu…hmmm? The Quincy artifact?"

"It…is fine, Master Aizen."

Szayel turned, picking up a small bracelet that glinted with a beautiful shimmering quality. It seemed to be crafted of diamond.

"Good…make sure it is kept safe and protected…that is a one of a kind Quincy tool, you know…"

Szayel nodded stiffly.

"Yes Master Aizen…but…then…do you really intend to give it away to that…your former sensei?"

Szayel instantly felt a bit foolish at venturing out with that question. One should know that questioning Aizen too much could be foolhardy.

Aizen only smiled benevolently turning away with a small flourish, allowing Szayel to exhale a relieved sigh.

"Certainly not…all that awaits the success of Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai's mission is his own death…now that I know he is alive he is far too strong to leave alive…I will personally dispatch him when he returns."

"Y-Yes sir…"

Szayel Aporro Grantz shivered as Aizen left the room, the Arrancar turning back to his mangled _Fracción, _devouring them and regenerating his left arm.

_One day…one day…_

* * *

**Soul Society **

**Seireitei**

Ichigo stumbled backwards, gasping as the man appeared directly in front of him with speed that was almost too fast to track, sending a hard boot into his stomach.

_Ughh…shit…what the!? _

"Bastard!"

Ichigo Kurosaki snarled, dashing forward as he grasped his Zangetsu hard, sending it down at Kaworu in a long overhead slash.

The former Captain Kaworu only smirked, leaping forward with such speed that he was already a few inches in Ichigo's personal space when the slash Ichigo had launched hit open air.

Ichigo gasped, feeling the air knocked out of him as Kaworu began to launch punch after punch into his stomach and belly.

He spit up blood and tried to inhale to no avail as he felt what seemed like thousands of blows rebound off of him in seconds, sending him down on his knees in a painful but overall unwounded mess.

Ichigo quickly rose, sending a horizontal slash hurtling at Kaworu, who simply sidestepped it with deceptive ease and sent a high kick that looked like a blur but felt like a freight train.

Kaworu only laughed as Ichigo was sent hurtling against the ground, bouncing a few times in obvious pain.

Ichigo leapt up nimbly just as Kaworu rushed forward again, his hard fist hurtling at Ichigo as the Shinigami representative brought up his wide Zangetsu blade to block the punch.

The punch rebounded against the sword with such force that it sent Ichigo gasping and hurtling into one of the buildings close by, demolishing it in a burst of dust and rubble.

Ichigo growled to himself underneath the rocks, mostly unhurt as he grumbled to himself.

"That bastard…forget how small his blade is, he's not even using it! He's just punching and kicking the crap out of me! I've had quite enough of this…"

Kaworu stiffened as Ichigo leapt out of the rubble behind him.

_How the hell did I not detect his spiritual presence?!_

He spun around, just in time to notice that Ichigo had gripped the wrappings that went up and down his sword and was using them to swing his massive Zangetsu around his head, causing great gusts of wind.

_What the hell is he…of course…the centrifugal force…shit! I have no choice!_

Ichigo roared, jumping forward with the blade still spinning around his head, then anchoring it finally with both hands as he brought all of that spinning momentum and power down in one massive swing at Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai's prone form.

"IT'S OV-!"

"Kowasu…_Inazuma_…"

"Huh?!"

Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise as he felt his massive swing halted simply and firmly, never having connected to any part of Kaworu's body. Instead, a blade had blocked it…a…spear point?!

The tantō had become a long cross spear suddenly, the blade of the tantō serving as the main blade of the spear though a bit elongated, while two other blades had formed in the sides as well as a long thick wooden pole handle, to form a cross spear.

"This is Inazuma's initial release…more than enough to halt your foolishness."

Ichigo grit his teeth, trying to press his blade down hard against Kaworu, but his spear was unyielding. Indeed, it almost felt as if Ichigo was losing ground.

_Am I…sliding?! What the?!_

Kaworu's strength had seemingly increased a great deal, or else he simply hadn't chosen to show his true strength yet, Ichigo finding his locked position with his Zangetsu against Inazuma frighteningly precarious as Kaworu pushed him back, sending him hurtling with surprise into the rocks and rubble he had previously emerged from.

Ichigo rose a few seconds later, covered in dust with a nasty scratch on his forehead, while Kaworu only sighed.

"Perhaps I should not make it hurt…you're just so…pitiful…"

"What'd you say, bastard?!"

Kaworu arched his eyebrows, grinning wide.

"What, you still have a will to fight after seeing that? Well…that's…"

Ichigo's eyes widened as he heard Kaworu's voice continuing the sentence directly behind him in a flash, simultaneously feeling the horrific pain of Inazuma's spear point slashing into his side.

"…brave…but foolhardy."

Ichigo let out a confused, pained gasp as he fell forward onto his knees, dropping Zangetsu. He clutched the bleeding slash on his left side. It wasn't life-threatening, but it was a nasty strike nonetheless, very painful, almost burning unnaturally.

"B-Bastard…"

"Still talking? Do I have to kill you like I did with Little Kuchiki?"

Ichigo's eyes widened.

"W-What?! What the fuck did you do to Rukia, you-"

Kaworu only laughed, looming over the wounded Ichigo who remained pitifully on his knees.

"Rukia? No…no…I took care of her older brother…it surprises me that Kuchiki eventually had siblings like that…No, I wouldn't ever kill Rukia Kuchiki…"

Ichigo sighed in relief, trying to steel himself for the rest of the fight.

"…because I have to take her to Aizen, after all."

Ichigo's eyes widened at the man's words, his body trembling as he remembered Aizen…remembered his defeat…

_Take Rukia?! Take Rukia? I won't…I won't lose to you bastards again!_

Kaworu hummed dismissively as he dodged a reckless punch launched by Ichigo as the young man leapt to his feet.

Kaworu flash stepped a few feet back and shook his head with a sigh.

"Why do you persevere? You remind me of…him…Kisuke…I'll have to kill you for reminding me of him."

"Why? Because of this…because of her?"

Kaworu noticed now that Ichigo had only launched the reckless punch so he could retrieve his sword, and the young man had raised it with both hands as he had said 'Because of this'.

"Hah…what do you intend to do with that?!"

"Protect those that I love and respect. That's all I need. Bankai!"

Kaworu's eyes widened in sudden surprise. This he had not calculated.

"Ban…kai?"

_What…the…This young man isn't even dressed in Captain's robes…What is this? A bluff? He can't have achieved bankai…_

There was a massive swirling burst of spiritual energy and dust all around the destroyed battlefield they had been dueling upon, and Kaworu was forced backwards from the miasma of chaos and rubble as the young man disappeared within the heavy cloud of dust and spiritual presence.

When it had cleared, Kaworu's eyes could barely make out the fellow. His clothing had changed to long silky ragged black robes, and his sword was now a strong-looking pure black katana-like blade.

Kaworu clenched his fists, gritting his teeth in rage at this fellow resisting so wildly and delaying his true goals. He had other business to deal with…memories of the past to erase permanently. He had no time for this foolish youngster.

"Why are you doing this? Your only path is death, young fool."

"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki, bastard! I'm doing it for her…I'm doing it to protect everything I have…what's important to me…"

Kaworu trembled, though anyone who knew him well enough would know it was in rage and anticipation rather than fear.

He clutched his skull, feeling another episode making him teeter at the edge of darkness.

_Kisuke sighed, shaking his head as the two friends argued._

"_You know I would do anything to protect what I love and hold dear, Kaworu…I love Yuruichi and you, and Soul Society…that's why I warn you not to take these actions. This is madness!"_

_Kaworu stiffened, trembling with anger._

"_Madness? You would have father going about and crushing whomever he wishes in the name of 'Soul Society'? That is madness!"_

_Kisuke only gave him a sad smile, placing a reassuring hand on Kaworu's shoulder._

"_Calm down, friend…don't get so enraged…I understand your positions…but you must have sense and reason. Some things are worth dying for, and others are not."_

"You…definitely…remind me of him…the same…overconfident look…the same idiocy…I'll…I'll make this hurt…Maybe even…kill that sow of yours…Fuck what Aizen wants back alive…I'll kill you all…kill…won't let you kill me again…I'll kill all of you…I will give you my name, Mr. 'Ichigo Kurosaki'! I am former Captain of the Fifth Division, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai, and I have come to crush everything you love and hold dear to dust and dirt."

_Hate…hate…hate…_

He gripped his Inazuma, raising the spear and pointing it fiercely at Ichigo as they both crackled with spiritual energy.

"Bankai? How pitiful! It doesn't seem to have done anything for you at all…Oh…I'll…Make it hurt! I'll damn well make it hurt for you and that Rukia bitch!"

Ichigo smirked, his black robes flowing around him like raven's wings.

"You'll do…"

Kaworu trembled, this time in surprise, as he heard Ichigo's voice continuing suddenly directly behind him. This time _he_ had flash stepped behind Kaworu at a new blinding speed that the strawberry-headed boy hadn't exhibited previously during this fight.

Could that bankai truly be real? Something to be reckoned with? Preposterous!

"…what now?!"

Kaworu just barely had time to react as Zangetsu's sleek black blade crashed down towards him from behind in a massive explosion of spiritual pressure.

* * *

Little Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi giggled as her pink haired head bobbed up and down, riding the massive shoulder of her Captain, Kenpachi Zaraki. 

She laughed as she urged him forward; pointing down the long alleyway Kenpachi was sprinting down, his spiked hair standing proud like the many towers of Soul Society.

He spoke up in his gruff voice.

"Are you sure this is the right way? I hope you're not pulling the same shit like when the ryoka were invading."

"Of course not Ken-chan!"

"You felt it too…didn't you?"

"Yeah…that strawberry-head…you betcha…I sensed his spirit too!"

Yeah…Kenpachi hadn't been delusional. His wounds weren't still that bad, they had mostly healed.

It really had been Ichigo Kurosaki's spiritual presence…flaring up for a second…

But…what was more surprising was a second spiritual presence he had felt…it had been so brief he was not sure if it had truly existed…but what he felt from it was massive…a behemoth of spiritual presence…

Perhaps his wounds _were_ getting to him. It couldn't be possible…

Yet…if it was…there was surely a good fight in the making, even if it was really just Ichigo Kurosaki again.

"Never mind then…get us there quick!"

"Sure I will Kenny! We'll get there super fast, I swear!"

Kenpachi suddenly halted his one eye widening as he stared down at his zanpakutō.

It was…trembling…shaking at his hip.

"Something wrong Kenny?"

And this wasn't the first time…it had began to shake and tremble in sudden spastic episodes right after his fight with Ichigo.

He had no idea what it meant, or what was going on, but he had a rather queer feeling about it all.

Shaking away the odd ideas from his head, he shrugged.

What did it matter…as long as his blade could cut flesh and he could fight, there was nothing more important.

"Nothing…"

He grunted.

"Make sure you're leading us in the right direction Yachiru!"

"You betcha!"

She squealed as they headed in the complete opposite direction of where all the action was ensuing.

Darn.

* * *

Lieutenant Izuru Kira stiffened for a brief moment as he and the kind-looking Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu advanced through the many long corridors of Soul Society. 

"Did you feel that? Spiritual pressure…going wild…I know I've felt that before?"

He brushed the blonde hair from his eyes as Isane shook her head, sighing softly.

"I guess…but it's not familiar…I really wonder why Captain Unohana sent us here…"

"Don't you remember? To find out who attacked Captain Kuchiki!"

"Oh…"

Izuru arched his eyebrows, staring intently at the soft-spoken Isane.

"Hmmm?"

"I had a nightmare like this a few nights ago, y'know…"

Izuru sighed, smiling as he prepared himself to hear yet another story about a nightmare Kotetsu had had.  
However, she had stopped talking abruptly, and as he followed her gaze, he realized why.

Someone stood in their path.

It was an old man with deep, pained wrinkles of age over his extremely expressive face. He had a thick long white beard and clean bald head, and was covered in flowing gray robes.

He was sitting quietly, but directly in their paths, a strange-looking blade at his hip.

The old man spoke, his voice deep and menacing but at the same time it seemed to be mostly melodious and peaceful.

"I am afraid I cannot let you advance any further. I apologize."

In fact…his face looked remarkably like…but…that couldn't be true…

Isane's eyes widened as Izuru stepped forward, her voice soft as she spoke up.

"What? Is that…Captain Yamamoto?"

Izuru shook his head, urging Isane to get behind him as he addressed the now silent old man who was sitting peacefully in their path.

"Wait…I've heard of you…or at least…I think I've seen a depiction of you…I know I have…You're…why…you're Captain Yamamoto's brother! Aren't you? You're supposed to have died!"

Former Captain Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai stiffened slightly.

_Captain Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai stared his brother in the eyes, even as the metal bonds weighed heavily on his wrists and legs._

"_Captain Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai…you have been sentenced to imprisonment indefinitely for plotting the attempted assassination of Captain Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai and the attempted overthrowing of Soul Society along with Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai who has already been dispatched of."_

_His brother remained silent as the sentence was spoken. Gendo stared deeply into his eyes, searching for any sign of emotion or regret._

_There was only coldness…chilling…and a grave responsibility and duty. This Captain of all the Gotei 13 was willing to undertake any measure to protect his dominion, decisions, and Soul Society itself, it seemed._

_The guard speaking the sentence halted._

"_Do you have any last words?"_

_Gendo grit his teeth, unable to move. _

"_I will say this…"_

_Pursing his lips, he spit directly in his brother's face._

"_That is all, I am-"_

_He gasped as he felt Shigekuni's blade slash deep across his chest in a spray of blood and the guards sent him tumbling down into the dark abyss of the pit._

_Centuries passed…no…he could not be sure…he could feel his body aging…feel his mind crumbling…it could've been thousands of years…millions…he had not died…he remained living in this state of limbo…buried in the secret chamber of darkness from which there was no escape._

_Except…light…  
Light flooded in. His eyes burned, he could feel the wrinkling underneath them, he could feel the weakness of his body…he could feel his old tired zanpakutō still at his side. He could feel that scar across his chest! That wound, old, but still painful! Burning at him with the fury that only Shigekuni's Ryūjin Jakka could deliver!_

_It seemed to be years before his eyes adjusted to the light…maybe even centuries!_

_But that did not matter…_

_Time no longer held an importance or even existence to Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai…it was irrelevant…a delusion even…_

_The first thing he remembered seeing was the smiling face of one Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai, his nephew._

_Gendo found, despite the pain in his joints, despite the imprisonment which could've possibly lasted millennia, despite all that…he just couldn't resist this young fellow's smile. It was desperate and somber, but still as charming as before. _

_It was a true surprise, as he had assumed that his nephew had been slain as the guards had said._

_Gendo smiled back. Despite the years of nothingness and pain…How could he not smile back?_

"_Good morning…Uncle. Long nap, eh? Time to wake up…we have business to attend to."_

_Freedom…freedom…freedom…justice._

_He had slain time…and been delivered to freedom…all that remained was to return the balance of justice to Soul Society. His brother would pay, that was already predetermined by time and fate and all those fallacies. _

_Sometimes there are blows only brothers should exchange…to the death. It seems…fitting._

_I was never a born fighter like my brother…like my nephew…but this old man can still show this world a thing or two about justice…about what's right…about the fragility of existence…_

"No…you are…mistaken, young man."

He sighed, reaching for the jitte at his hip which made the two Lieutenants back away and reach for their own swords.

Gendo only smiled, shaking his head.

"As I said…you are mistaken… I am an old man that time forgot. That is all."

He quickly drew his jitte, making the Lieutenants take further steps back protectively.

"An old man who has grown tired of life and memory…Let us speak the tales of terrible history to them, eh old _Tokikaze_?"

* * *

To specify my description of Kaworu's released zanpakutō, basically what happens is that two extra blades extend out of the side of the tantō handle, and a long wooden pole out of the handle butt of the tantō. So basically it becomes a cross spear wherein the main blade is the initial tantō…get it?

Basically, if you've watched/read Samurai Deeper Kyo, it's much like Benitora's spear.

Kaworu's zanpakutō presented and explained. Click here to get what I'm basically trying to get at.

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/3860/zanpaktoufo2.png

See you next chapter…expect cool awesome stuff including the continuation of the current fights, some back-story, and hell even Kotetsu in action…

And if you hadn't noticed...I revealed the name of Gendo's zanpakutō...  



	6. Hic Sunt Dracones

Well, here's the next chapter…hope it doesn't seem too short or hurried, but I'm really bust lately.

Expect an update soon, hope you're enjoying this storyline…it's going to get as varied and as exciting as I can make it, there will be many surprises, and I'm going to try my best to be original and not monotonous.

And big props to people reviewing. Of course I don't mind long or chatty reviews, I embrace all reviews. 

To a writer they're emboldening. At times there're downers and you figure that maybe absolutely no one is actually reading your fanfic or enjoying it.

It's always great to get reviews, any kind of reviews, just any sort of response that validates your writing and encourages you to keep on writing. Not because the people praised you, but just because you know they actually read it.

Call it pathetic, but this morning I didn't have any plans to update until say, Monday. Then I noticed a bunch of reviews, and I suddenly got back in the mood. I was excited to see how people would react to the next parts of the story and I felt like updating immediately. Dumb, I know, but that's just how my mind works. 

So, do carry on, and I shall as well! Good luck to this story.

Enjoy this arc!

Enjoy yourselves!

Let's get this started!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc.. Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

Kaworu found himself flash stepped as he flashed backwards, Ichigo keeping up with his speed almost effortlessly through the massive spirals of dust they were kicking up.

_Fast! Who the hell is this bastard?! I can barely keep up with his bankai in my shikai form! Ridiculous…I won't give this idiot the honor of seeing Inazuma in full glory…but at this rate…I'll have to do something…_

Ichigo Kurosaki appeared behind Kaworu again, making the older Shinigami snarl and spin around with his long cross spear slamming down like a hammer at Ichigo.

Ichigo nimbly dodged it backwards, grounding his feet, and then charging forward like a man possessed, his Zangetsu slashing and thrusting wildly at Kaworu.

Kaworu grunted angrily, just barely dodging the slashes, a few of them even managing to land small nicks and cuts on his robes and chest.

Yamamoto-Genryūsai grit his teeth, dodging another slash. He decided he would up the ante a bit…why not go to…

_Ten percent…_

"INFERIOR WELP!"

Ichigo barely managed to flash step away in time as a massive influx of spiritual presence began to emanate from Kaworu. Evidently the former Shinigami Captain was getting annoyed.

Kurosaki leapt up in the air just in time to dodge the wide swing of Inazuma nipping at his legs, then flash stepped away just as Kaworu's fist brushed his cheek just barely missing.

_He got…faster?! I can…still…keep up…_

Ichigo snarled, slamming down onto the ground and then hurtling forward at Kaworu, his first sword thrust singing straight at Kaworu's open chest.

It was intercepted by Kaworu's arm twisting around Ichigo's sword arm in a lock and Kaworu's other arm impacting elbow first into Ichigo's face.

Ichigo fell backwards in what seemed like slow motion to him, realizing he had a busted nose and Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai had just taken his zanpakutō.

All in a matter of seconds…

_Oh shit…_

* * *

Lieutenants Izuru Kira and Isane Kotetsu backed away slowly, their zanpakutōs drawn and raised as they eyed the old man standing placidly in front of them.

Kira spoke up, staring coldly at Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai.

"I don't understand what business you have here, or what's going on…but you're coming with us."

Isane nodded in firm agreement, steeling her will as she strode up alongside Kira.

Gendo simply sighed, shaking his head.

"Why…why must the young strive to die in such a cold and bitter place? Why I ask, with my tears and your blood upon my face…"

He grunted as he raised his small jitte in the air, smiling sadly.

"I suppose I have no choice…if you two insist, then I will dispatch you both. Worry not, it will be clean and prudent. Kara, _Tokikaze!"_

The jitte slowly warped and grew into another shape, wrapping and melding around the hand that held it until it resembled a metal glove with spikes on the wrist and a long blade connect to the back of the hand.

Gendo lifted up the hand and spread the palm wide towards the Lieutenants, revealing the fact that the kanji for "fate" was scrawled onto the palm.

"I am sorry, Lieutenants, but your lives end here."

* * *

"You…uhhh…had me worried for a…huh…few seconds…huh."

Kaworu panted as he delivered a hard punch into Ichigo's gut every few seconds after every few words he spoke.

He had easily disarmed and beaten this poor fellow by simply raising his spiritual presence and speed a bit and then devastating him with some simple hand-to-hand shunpo moves.

_Pathetic!_

Ichigo gasped, toppling face first onto the unforgiving ground.

Kaworu shrugged, turning his back to Ichigo and beginning to walk away.

"I don't take the time to crush flies. Later."

What Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai could not see with his back to Ichigo Kurosaki's tired body was the murky darkness slowly growing inside of Ichigo's eyes.

_Hahahahahaha, Ichigo! PATHETIC! DO YOU THINK I'M JUST GOING TO SIT BY AND WATCH YOU DIE, YOU WEAKLING! You don't deserve this body! HERE I COME!  
_

* * *

Ichigo Kurosaki found himself in that void of darkness again, slowly opening his eyes and seeing himself in that queer world where he had seen Zangetsu. The buildings at their sides…everything…off.

He could see his pale Hollow counterpart sneering at him with fierce eyes and then laughing.

"Stay asleep, ICHIGO! You don't have A CHANCE AGAINST THIS OPPONENT!"

Ichigo fell to his knees, gasping for air as Hollow Ichigo burst into wild laughter.

"No…no…for Rukia…for…my friends…I won't let…you dominate…again!"

* * *

_Long time no see…land of the damned…_

Kisuke Urahara stood before the gates of Seireitei and sighed.

_The presence of the three dragons here, alive…it threatens all…they are far too destructive, and so is he…_

Kisuke clenched a fist.

_Kaworu…if you are alive…then…I have no choice but to kill you myself. Sins of the past, memories of pain, irrelevant…you're…far too dangerous to be allowed alive. Soul Society would be split asunder._

_Don't worry, Yoruichi…I'm coming._

A gruff snort behind him, and Kisuke turned to see Renji Abarai slowly strolled lazily towards him with his blade balanced on his shoulder.

"Eh? You wanted me to sneak out here, huh? What the hell is going on? What's wrong with Rukia and what the hell are those explosions in Seireitei?"

Kisuke only smiled, tapping the cane that was Benihime.

"You'll find out in time, Renji…for now I have no choice but to return from exile…Think they'll be happy about it? I'm thinking a welcoming party, maybe some ice cream cake."

Kisuke smirked.

Renji gave a wry snort.

"Yeah, if Captain Kuchiki doesn't slice you in half first."

* * *

Tōshirō Hitsugaya sighed, slowly making his way down the ivory stairs.

The captain's meeting had been brief and vague, Captain Yamamoto-Genryūsai only telling them to be cautious regarding the queer spiritual presence trackings and explosions that had been around Seireitei lately.

Having gazed at the old man's wistful face, Hitsugaya could've sworn he'd detected something…hidden…

_Could the old man not be telling us everything? Why?_

"A curious meeting was it not, Captain Hitsugaya?"

Tōshirō turned to see Captain Soifon walking alongside him down the long stairs, a bit surprised. She never really interacted much with the other Captains.

_But…she does her job well, so…no matter._

"Yes…I suppose it was, Captain Soifon…is there something on your mind?"

"Captain Kuchiki wasn't at the meeting…and I haven't seen Yoruichi anywhere…and those explosions…There is someone here…destruction is occurring."

"And you wonder why the divisions haven't been fully mobilized, spread out and put on general alert yet?"

"Yes, well I-"

Suddenly Hitsugaya felt the earth shake around them from a terrible explosion that seemed to come from deep in Seireitei and cut off the female captain's words. He and Soifon fell across each other in a terrible mess as the ground shook them about.

Grunting in annoyance, Hitsugaya got up and helped Captain Soifon back up with an apology and helping hand.

However, she seemed to be staring intently at his person and he felt rather uncomfortable.

_She was always a kind of…weird sort of person…_

"Uh…Captain Soifon? Is there something the matter?"

"Captain Hitsugaya…Why…is your zanpakutō trembling like that?!"

Tōshirō Hitsugaya's eyes widened and he slowly drew his blade.

Hyōrinmaru was shaking violently in his grasp, and to his surprise, he found himself independently trembling in trepidation.

_What…what is the meaning of this?! What's going on? What are you hiding from us, old man? And why?_

* * *

Yoruichi grunted in annoyance as she flash stepped from rooftop to rooftop. Every few seconds she could feel a massive spiritual presence blink in and out of existence.

_Is that you, my love?_

She grit her teeth.

It had been wise of the old man not to send all on general alert. In the back of her head, with a certain bit of fear, Yoruichi contemplated that this was perhaps because the old man realized that Kaworu would slaughter anything his father sent his way by the hundreds.

And she also realized this meant one thing… Captain Yamamoto-Genryūsai was containing this; keeping this under wraps…it was obvious. He depended on her to take care of his son again.

There were no orders this time around, it was just implied.

She and Ichigo…Even now she could feel two distinct spiritual presences racing about Seireitei and clashing every few seconds. One however, was slowly decreasing in strength as every minute passed by.

_No…Ichigo…stay in there…Ichigo shouldn't have even been involved…DON'T DIE! DON'T DIE! I'M COMING!_

* * *

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai barely had time to turn around and receive the terrible slash dealt to him by the manically grinning Ichigo Kurosaki.

Zangetsu tore across his chest, dealing a painful blow that while not serious still sent a thick shower of dark blood splattering on the ground.

"What?!"

"Hahahahahahahahahahhahaah! DIE!"

Kaworu flash stepped away just in time as this new Ichigo slammed his Zangetsu down onto the ground and sent a massive wave of dark energy tearing across the battered battlefield.

"Getsuga tenshō!"

A mask had materialized halfway across Ichigo's now wild face…a Hollow mask…and it was dripping and trying to cover all of his face.

_Is this…a Hollow form?! What is this? How is this possible? What is this fool? Who is he?_

Hollow Ichigo had meanwhile grabbed the cloth wrappings around the handle and sent it spinning down waywardly at Kaworu like a flail.

Kaworu barely managed to dodge, still feeling the blood dripping from the wound on his chest.

_What the hell is-_

"Hahahahaha! Look the other way and I'll slice you in half!"

Ichigo had maneuvered directly behind him in a flash, grabbing Zangetsu and swinging it downwards hard towards Kaworu's right shoulder.

Kaworu grunted, raising his spiritual presence and blocking the blade with the point of his cross spear Inazuma, slowly pushing Hollow Ichigo back.

In fact, something odd seemed to be occurring to Ichigo despite his initial victorious blows.

Kaworu noticed that his spiritual presence was dropping significantly, and in a matter of seconds Kaworu had sent the young Shinigami flying back away from his offensive position.

Ichigo fell to his knees, screaming and groaning as he grabbed the mask forming around his face with both hands and ripped it away with a grunt.

Ichigo gasped for air, slowly rising, seemingly normal again, taking in long breaths of air.

Kaworu eyed him warily, pointing Inazuma at him with a slowly growing internal rage.

"I've had…just…about…enough…of…these…games…You really piss me off, you know that? I'm going to grind you into dust and scatter your remains in every corner of this cursed land."

Ichigo only hissed, still feeling the stress from coming back into his normal bankai mode and pushing the Hollow within away. It was hard enough to fight let alone suppress his inner Hollow.

"Enough talk old man!"

"Little bastard…"

Kaworu grabbed Inazuma with both hands firmly, giving Ichigo a stare so fierce it seemed to bore straight through him.

"Bankai! _Totatsu Tatsu Ouu_!"

Ichigo's eyes widened.

_Bankai?! Oh…shi-  
_Ichigo barely had time to react or glimpse Kaworu and his bankai as he was blown away like a leaf up into the air by the most powerful spiritual presence he had ever felt in his life.

For the first time in a long time since he could remember, Ichigo Kurosaki genuinely felt a terrible fear for his life and a distinct inkling that he was fighting a battle that could definitely end in his death and the death of his friends. The braggadocio was gone.

* * *

Kira took a step backwards, urging Isane to move closer to him.

"Lieutenant Kotetsu…I think it would be prudent if we responded."

"R-Right…"

Isane Kotetsu nodded to herself, trying to steel her will. She had no idea why she was so terrified by this old man before them.

And neither did Lieutenant Izuru Kira, which is why he grasped Isane's shoulder tightly when he sensed her wavering will.

"Don't worry, Lieutenant…Let's face him together…

Isane bit her lip in shame.

_They always make fun of me for being a Lieutenant in 4__th__ Division…always jeering at me…calling me the weakest Lieutenant behind my back…or just patronizing me like this…I…I don't need your pity._

Kira's eyes widened as Isane shoved him away and raised her zanpakutō in the air.

"Hashire, _Itegumo!"_

Gendo smirked and Kira stared on in surprise as Isane's blade changed, two smaller blades protruding from Itegumo's hilt at 45° angles.

_Hmmm…come to think of it…I've never seen Lieutenant Kotetsu in action really…but she's being a bit reckless since we don't know our opponent…He seems to be just an old man without much obvious spiritual presence I can detect…maybe the level of a seated officer, that's all._

Kira shrugged as Gendo watched on, figuring he would have to give support if Kotetsu got reckless.

"Omote wo agero, _Wabis-__"_

Kira was interrupted before he could fully release Wabiksuke, staring in confusion at the snowflake that had landed on his nose, making his eyes cross.

"W-W-What?!"

If he had turned to Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu, he would've noticed the smile on her face as she stared down Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai and as snowflakes began to fall all around them.

_Let them pity 4__th__ Division now…I'll give you men a show of power alright…Isn't that so, __Itegumo?_

* * *

Yeah, anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter…

A bit on the shorter side, but it's just a buildup for the next chapter. Get ready!

BANKAI! 


	7. Stamus Contra Malum

Here's the next chapter…

I hope all of you are still reading and reviewing and enjoying, your reviews, advice and words all strengthen this writer's resolve and when I know others are reading I feel like writing even more.

I'll keep writing, I hope this update didn't take too long, the following chapters should be very eventful and dramatic.

As for all you people talking about pairings, remember, in my mind, nothing is permanent and concrete yet.

Any pairing could conceivably happen, and many characters who may not have a lot of attention right now will show up, so fans of particular pairings or characters that may not have gotten a lot of attention, worry not and stick with me!

Enjoy this arc!

Enjoy yourselves!

Let's get this started!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc.. Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

Ichigo Kurosaki could feel his body trembling…this was…fear…

Total…unabashed…utter fear…he couldn't deny it.

He hadn't felt this helpless since his mother…had…

Since then he had promised himself to be strong, unaffected, stoic, or at least someone that didn't so shamefully cry or feel weakness.

But he couldn't deny why his body was trembling, why he could barely resist his eyes rolling back into his head.

Before him stood Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai in what seemed to be pure animalistic fury. The spiritual presence emanating all around the man was enormous, impossible, suffocating. His captain's robes flowed all around him, and his eyes seemed to consist only of merciless malice.

_So…this is…power…this is…his bankai…I can barely…move…or breathe…_

Ichigo Kurosaki stumbled backwards, trembling as he realized he could barely lift his arms or even think about fighting.

Kaworu spoke out, his voice booming with ferocity.

"I have judged you, Ichigo Kurosaki. The verdict is that you are unworthy, and will be put to death."

The ground around them shook as Kaworu's spiritual level reached new impossible highs.

"Count yourself lucky in being one of the few to ever see me at this level. Now die."

Ichigo Kurosaki barely had time to blink as Kaworu's fist hurtled straight at his face at a speed he couldn't even attempt to track.

_Rukia…_

* * *

Kisuke and Renji stood stock still in their positions on top of the roof of the buildings they had been flash stepping across, both of them with their eyes wide open.

"T-That…spiritual power…you felt it, didn't you? What is that?!"

Kisuke only looked away, trying to concentrate his will.

"It…doesn't matter…Let's continue moving…I think I can sense who I was searching for…"

_I…don't know what we can do now…the game is on…Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai has revealed his presence fully to all of Soul Society, and the response is unabashed terror. When will you make your move, Shigekuni?!_

* * *

"W-What was that?! Isane, you felt that, right?!"

Lieutenant Kotetsu nodded slowly to Lieutenant Izuru Kira, her face grave but determined.

Kira felt his fists trembling.

"That sort of spiritual power…in the distance…We must return to base and report, they probably need us!"

"No!"

Isane shook her head, clenching her fists.

"They can…handle this, I'm sure…I won't back down…"

_I'll show all you men, that I'm not some simple healer lieutenant…_

Kira's eyes widened at Kotetsu's uncharacteristic reaction, glancing back at the old man they were facing.

He seemed…calm and unsurprised by the events that were occurring.

"That…spiritual power…You're behind it, aren't you!? Tell us the meaning of this!"

Before Gendo could respond, both men noticed that there were snowflakes falling heavily all around them, slowly obscuring the visibility.

Anyone that could have perceived an aerial view would have noticed a white sphere forming around the two Lieutenants and old man, the snowflakes exclusive to that area, not a weather phenomenon.

Lieutenant Kotetsu smirked.

"…Itegumo…show them the barren face of winter…"

* * *

Ichigo Kurosaki spat out more blood than he assumed he even had in his body, coughing and grunting in exhaustion and pain as Kaworu gave him another rough boot to the belly.

_Can't…give up…Rukia…must…not…fade…_

Ichigo gasped for air, feeling his lungs and heart working at their limits as he rushed forward again, screaming in animalistic desperation as he slashed Zangetsu at Kaworu's grim and merciless form.

Throughout the whole fight, Kaworu had simply been silent, emanating massive spiritual energy and foiling every attack Ichigo launched while dealing him quick merciless blows of damage.

He hadn't even spoken a word, simply watching and studying Ichigo mercilessly and silently. For a few moments, Ichigo even thought he could see sorrow in the former Captain's face, but this could not be.

Inazuma had been surprisingly unchanged by Kaworu's bankai, at least aesthetically, and Kaworu brought the spear up to easily block Zangetsu, his free hand punching Ichigo roughly in the face and sending the young man hurtling into a building which promptly collapsed in an explosion of rubble and dust onto Ichigo.

Following up his punch, just as Ichigo barely managed to drag himself out of the rubble, Kaworu spun around once in a circle, swinging Inazuma around his head and then sending it flying like a javelin.

Ichigo's eyes widened in unabashed fear as the spear hurtled towards him, gaining such speed and power that it seemed to crackle with electricity.

_This….is the end…I guess this is how…I die._

* * *

Kira gasped, trying to feel his way through the thick curtain of snowflakes showering all around him.

"That Isane! What's gotten into her?! I can't even sense or see what the hell is going on in this crap?! Where did those two go?!"

Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai found himself not very impressed at all as he slowly strolled through the thick curtain of snow.

"So you have brought me cool tidings, young girl? I see no power in this. Is it only to lessen the harsh face of the summer sun?"

He focused on the snow around him, trying to detect the young Lieutenants and their spiritual presences, though he found he could barely sense his own spirit let alone theirs.

"Ah…so this is to limit my senses, hmmm? That is still not good enough…"

There…she's…coming right behind me…The young girl thinks she can take me by surprise, but even without my senses, my reflexes are far too sharp because of the bitter experience of yesteryears.

Quickly he spun around, just in time to plunge the blade connected to his metal fist into Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu's surprised chest.

The young girl had been charging at his back with her sword Itegumo raised over her head, presumably to deal a fatal blow into the old man's preoccupied body.

"However, you have failed, my dear girl. I apologize."

The old man sighed, removing the blade from Isane's chest and letting her fall to the ground.

"Why must the youth of this world be so eager for blood and death? I apologize for ending you, young wo-"

Gendo looked down in mid-sentence, noticing the young Lieutenant's fatal wound was…pouring out snow instead of blood.

The snow seemed to pulse around her wound, and in seconds she rose once more. Where there had been a hole in her chest there was now unharmed skin, though the hole in her clothing remained.

"Save your apologies for the next world, old man."

He grunted in surprise, just barely blocking her sword and pushing her backwards.

Rushing forwards, he gave her a rough punch to the stomach with his normal fist and then brought his hand-blade down to slice her completely in half, from her head down to her pelvis.

He panted in exhaustion, shaking his head.

_It was a pity he had to be so thorough, but he could not waste time with foolish Lieutenants and their illusion games._

He watched as her dying eyes widened in surprise, the two halves of her body…rejoining in a sudden burst of fresh snow.

_What the?!_

"Impossible!"

Gendo's eyes widened, if only imperceptibly, the old man grunting as Kotetsu pushed him back with a hard slash of her sword.

She smirked, noticing his confusion.

"Nothing is impossible, old man. Within this zone, it is impossible to defeat me or sense my spiritual presence. Any wounds you deal me are negligible. Itegumo's curtain of snow will protect me forever!"

Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai sighed, nodding to himself wistfully.

"Hrmmm…then I understand. It was wrong of me to underestimate your power, young lady. However, I cannot allow you to defeat me, unfortunately."

"Hmmph, what're you going to do then, run away?"

"No…that is also not an allowed option. I apologize for this, but I will eliminate you."

He lifted his metal fist, the blade of it pointing in Kotetsu's direction.

"Show her the bitter misery of time, Tokikaze."

Isane's eyes widened and she tried to stifle a scream as she heard someone else screaming inside her mind…a familiar young girl's voice…shouting her name…over and over…_over…and over…and over…the girl screamed for her older sister to come out…_

_The little girl screamed and smashed against the wooden front door until it opened, revealing a girl a bit older, possibly in her late teens with long silver-purple hair._

"_Kiyone…get out of here…get out!"_

_The smaller girl stiffened, tears running down her face as she glimpsed the middle aged man standing behind the teen girl, his drunk hands lecherously brushing against the silver-purple locks._

"_Isane?! Daddy?!"_

"_Get out…now!"_

"_I can't…older sister I…"_

_Isane screamed, shoving Kiyone out of the doorway and letting the gruff man shut it behind her._

_Her father smirked at her, slowly removing his belt and pressing her against the thin wooden wall._

"_So…who's been a bad girl today? Hmm?"_

_The tears stopped coming, after a long while, and Isane could only feel them that night as the snowflakes splashed against her cheeks and melted slowly. Sorrowfully and slowly with mercy._

_Her father's drunken will again, his rough, cruel hands._

_Suddenly, she heard a familiar scream from their quarters and stiffened in the snowy night._

_Kiyone…no…anything but her…anyone…Kiyone was the reason that Isane would allow these things, these injustices to be dealt to her, for her little sister's sake…so that they could have a roof over her head, so that these injustices were spared from Kiyone herself. As long as that cruel man's pain and lust could be spent on her, then they would not be spent on Kiyone, or so Isane had thought._

_She threw open the door just in time to see her father with his youngest daughter, a knife held to Kiyone's trembling little throat as her father's other hand tried to reach into her clothes._

"_No! No! Please…no!"_

_Isane rushed forward, just as her father did as well, tears mingling about them, powerful slaps resounding against the two girls, coupled with drunken shouts of anger._

_Isane had no idea what came over her as she grasped the knife out of her father's hands._

_She had no idea what came over her as she watched her father topple over and out of the front door, blood flowing from his cut throat. Could it be sorrow? Miserable regret? Relief at freedom? Or realization at their future foolish fate?_

_She watched the snowflakes slowly absorb the blood pooling onto the ground, piling and gently sprinkling around her father's dead body._

_She could hear Kiyone's tears in the background; she could hear herself shouting for Kiyone to stay inside._

_She could feel the snowflakes giving her the tears she could not produce herself._

_The nightmares had begun since then…but she always simply attributed silly causes to them, trying to forget, belittle, walk past her misery._

_It had slowly worked over the years, Kiyone had come under Ukitake's division, been promoted, seemed happy. Seemed to have forgotten._

_But for Isane Kotetsu…she could never forget the bruises and who had dealt them…and those snowflakes…all around…comforting her hot and weary face…protecting her…forever..._

There was a miserable sob, and a soft female whisper.

"Itegumo…Sorry…I have…fail…"

* * *

Kira's eyes widened in disbelief as the curtain of snowflakes shattered all around him in an instant, revealing the sunny normal day that had been around them the whole time outside the sphere.

The snowflakes slowly melted and pooled to nothing, revealing the fact that they had been atop the building the whole time in Seireitei where they had encountered the old man Gendo.

To his right, he noticed Isane Kotetsu's limp body laying on the roof in the fetal position, drying tears on her face, her body covered in snowflakes, her light hair so soft and gentle like snow itself.

"Lieutenant Kotetsu?! What happened?!"

He rushed towards her, but halted at the old man's grim and wistful voice behind him.

"No…she is not dead, young man…"

Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai sighed, smiling as he approached Lieutenant Izuru Kira's angry form.

"…She was simply brought down by the fist of time…As you too will be."

Kira grit his teeth defiantly, raising his blade in both hands.

"Omote wo agero, _Wabisuke!"_

His blade turned into a rather queer shape that puzzled but did not impress Gendo, rather like a sword with an odd square hook.

Gendo smiled sorrowfully as Kira rushed towards him, shaking his head.

"Why do they rush so eagerly to death, _Tokikaze_? For what greater will?"

* * *

_Chad…Orihime…Ishida…Rukia…Rukia…Rukia…Rukia…I'll miss you…I'll miss you all…I can't…believe this is…goodbye…like this._

Ichigo's eyes widened and his inner farewells simply stopped as the spear point barely missed him.

Kaworu had missed!

The spear Kaworu had thrown had hurtled just past Ichigo and slammed into a nearby wall.

Now Kaworu was weaponless…Ichigo had been so weak…so foolish…so resigned.

He grit his teeth and gave a confident smile despite the pain rebounding over his body.

_Now, Zangetsu! We strike! I'm sorry for almost giving up so easily! Let's go!_

Ichigo roared, gripping Zangetsu and hurtling forward with his blade raised.

In an instant he was right in front of Kaworu's standing and weaponless form, growling as he swung Zangetsu directly at…

"YOU WILL NOT KILL ME, ICHIGO KUROSAKI. YOU CANNOT. THAT HONOR WAS ALREADY DONE TO MY SOUL BY A LOVE LONG AGO."

Kaworu's voice boomed over him, as well as a fresh wave of Kaworu's massive spiritual power. It was high enough to easily bring any seated officer in Soul Society to his or her knees in unconsciousness, maybe even most of the Captains.

Instead, it simply stopped Ichigo's blade inches away from Kaworu's neck.

_Im…possible…_

Ichigo fell to his knees, his attack forgotten as his blade fell to the floor and saliva and blood dripped out of his mouth. His eyes were rolling into the back of his head, and he found he could barely retain consciousness.

_This…spiritual…he…stopped my attack…with a simple…gaze…and his…spiritual presence…_

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai stood domineering over Ichigo's kneeling form, his spiritual presence still rising and shaking the ground around them. Finally he spoke, in a booming and yet at the same time sorrowful voice.

"It is over Ichigo Kurosaki…The difference in power between you and I can never be brought together by you. It would take centuries more of experience and power, and even then, you would topple over as you did just now."

He paused, studying Ichigo's battered form from a distance.

"I…am almost sorry…Your spirit is admirable…but…"

Kaworu grit his teeth, his eyes suddenly flaring in fury.

"…but…all this for a mere woman!? You are young, and foolish to not know by now, that love and comradery are a mere façade. This Rukia would betray you in a mere instant if it were her orders! As would all of these friends you strive to protect! They would betray you in an instinct if it came down to it."

"_My Ichi-chan…if I were to run away from this place…would you join me?"_

_He rested his fingers gently on her chin, lifting up her face to gaze into his._

"_Would you? Leave this place, this land of duty and law, this land where you were raised…leave this land where you hold such supreme position…leave this land for your heart and mine?"_

_Yoruichi trembled, tears running down her face._

"_I know what I have to do…my Kaworu…my Okami…"_

_Kaworu smiled lovingly, taking this as an affirmative response, his hand reaching to pull her in a kiss._

_Suddenly, however, his brow furrowed, and he sighed, shaking his head._

"_I'm sorry."_

"_I…understand…but…did it have to be so…ruthless, Ichi-chan?"_

_The young man fell to the ground and coughed up violent streams of his own crimson blood, staring at the blade sticking out of his chest. The blade Yoruichi had stuck into him._

Ichigo Kurosaki's weak and barely conscious voice rasped out in response to Kaworu's dark and sorrowful sermon, interrupting Kaworu's words and remembrance of the terrible past.

"No…you…are…wrong."

Kaworu eyes widened and he let out a barely contained howl of terrible misery and anger as he sent a terribly rough punch rebounding into Ichigo's already battered face.

It send the young man hurtling into the ground at top speed, bouncing off of it like a doll, and colliding into yet another building that swallowed him up in an explosion of rubble and dust.

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai trembled, gritting his teeth as he lifted his hand up to point at Ichigo's prone form laying beneath the rubble, barely breathing.

"I will be merciful…and ignore that comment of inexperience and ignorance…Ichigo Kurosaki. I will end this in an instant and leave nothing of your remains in this world. That is mercy, for this existence is nothing but bitter pain and misery. To be or not to be. It makes no difference to me. The only thing that mankind has never been able to grasp is that death may be the only absolute freedom there ever was. You will receive my special kidō in full power, with the full chant. No one has ever received it in that way, think of yourself as honorable as you will receive freedom, becoming nothing but a pile of charred dust."

Ichigo groaned, trying miserably to stand or move, and failing just as pitifully. Kaworu smiled sadly, his mind slowly thinking back on Yoruichi's face despite himself.

"Carriage of thunder. Life's terrible flax of sorrow. Return all to dust as it once was, and end mankind's true misery. Destructive Art: 95, Lighting Genesis, Crash Down."

Ichigo Kurosaki found he couldn't even react or conjure up any strength to move or even think of his friends and Rukia as the massive bolt of lightning hurtled right at his position.

_This is…the end…  
_

The explosion shook nearly all of Soul Society, and in the end there was nothing left of the targeted position but a massive crater that had to be sixty feet across and just as deep.

* * *

Ichigo Kurosaki was dead.

Or at least he thought he was.

For he could feel someone holding him.

He closed his eyes, feeling soft arms wrap around him, and a feminine scent. Comforting.

Tears ran down his face.

"Rukia? M-Mother? I'm…sorry I failed…I'm dead…I'm dead…"

He looked up, tears on his usually strong and confident face, turning to see the woman holding him.

Yoruichi Shihouin stared down at him with an expression that seemed to hold the emotions of sympathy, strength, determination, and grave sadness.

She caressed his beaten face, smiling sadly.

"Did you think you were in the next world, Ichigo? Don't give up so soon, Aunt Yoruichi is here…It is sad to see you like this. Smile, Ichigo, you fought well against such an opponent.

Yoruichi lay Ichigo's wounded form against a wall, turning back to her more immediate concern and threat.

This more immediate concern and threat, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai had wept as he watched Yoruichi Shihouin appear in his line of sight, her masterful and blinding speed whisking Ichigo Kurosaki just before the massive blast could have disintegrated him.

His tears ran down his face, and he tasted them.

_Delicious…salty…invigorating…_

Were they tears of love? Tears of vengeance? Misery? Happiness at seeing his once lost love? Misery at seeing this love who had betrayed him? Or more likely, vengeful joy at her appearing so he could rip her apart piece by piece?

At this point, not even Kaworu himself knew the answer to this question.

_Guide me…Inazuma. You are the only one I have left._

Of course, when asking for counsel from a spear, all it could respond with was its sharp point.

The battle was inevitable.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I wrote it quickly and enjoying writing it, I hope it wasn't lame or anything…

Getting ready for some awesome stuff, more Kisuke, more Kaworu, more Yoruichi, more glances at the past…And lots of other stuff…

Hope you weren't too bored by Kaworu's old uncle Gendo and his fight with the two Lieutenants. Poor Isane, she had an interesting snow zanpakutō, but it seems Gendo's Tokikaze may have some menacingly capable abilities. Let's see if Izura Kira can get him to _apologize. _Wink wink. 

And don't worry, Ichigo's not down for the count, he may be near death, but he'll be back! Never underestimate a Kurosaki!


	8. Signum Fidei

Here's the next chapter…

You know, I can write these out so quickly and enthusiastically, I'm really enjoying writing this story…Despite the fact that reviews and reading seem so minimal for this story, while Bleach fanfics full of clichéd tripe seem to be getting hundreds upon hundreds of reviews.

But I persevere, and I hope those who are reading are enjoying this. We're entering an exciting phase in this arc…I'd call this particular "Kaworu Arc" about 25 done or so.

Get ready for more excitement, and as I've said before, fans of characters and pairings that haven't appeared yet, don't fear…you will see far more of your favorites before this Arc is over.

Enjoy this arc!

Enjoy yourselves!

Let's get this started!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc.. Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

Izura Kira grit his teeth as he blocked yet another one of the old man's bladed salvos, pushing the old Shinigami backwards and leaping away.

_It must've…doubled in weight so far…and doubled that…_

Gendo grunted in surprise. This was the second time he felt this, his muscles straining to lift the blade connected to his metal fist.

"Tokikaze?"

Kira grit his teeth, laughing with a rather cold and sinister tone.

"Sorry old man, I'm not like Lieutenant Nurse over there. Wabisuke doubles the weight of whatever it strikes, and then doubles that the second time, and so on and so on…Soon you will find your arm bowing to the ground, as well as your entire body, thereby begging for my forgiveness, _offering me apology_."

_The guard speaking the sentence halted._

"_Do you have any last words? Perhaps you will apologize for your sins and ask for forgiveness from your leader?_

_Gendo grit his teeth, unable to move. _

"_I will say this…"_

_Pursing his lips, he spit directly in his brother's face._

"_That is all, I am-"_

_He gasped as he felt Shigekuni's blade slash deep across his chest in a spray of blood and the guards sent him tumbling down into the dark abyss of the pit._

Gendo grit his teeth, raising his blade in Kira's direction.

"Young man…I will never feel the urge to apologize for my actions, nor bow my head to any man who stands before me…I may be old…but I still have the strength to lift my blade. I will have no need to touch my metal against yours any longer from this point on, nay, I will touch my metal directly against your flesh and end this.

Kira sneered, slightly put off by the old man's confidence.

_End this huh?! I'm not going to be embarrassed again like I was against Rangiku! I'm a Lieutenant, goddamit! I'm taking this bastard down!_

Kira rushed forward, Wabisuke raised over his head to slash down at Gendo.

_Just a few more strikes and he'll be down on the ground unable to lift anything up…Apologize, old man! _

Gendo only shook his head, his blade still pointed in Kira's direction as he spoke in his wizened and melodious voice.

"Show him the stillness of fate, Tokikaze."

Lieutenant Izura Kira only laughed as he rushed forward, swinging Wabisuke down at the old man just as he muttered something Kira couldn't hear.

Kira's eyes widened as his blade…slided directly through the old man and out his back with no effect whatsoever, as if the old man was made of…air?

Suddenly, despite the fact that he could see the old man directly in front of him with Wabisuke intersecting him with no effect as if he were a ghost, despite that…he heard Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai directly behind him.

"I…apologize…for this pain you are about to receive."

* * *

"YA! Finally I've got ya!"

Kenpachi growled, swinging his massive blade out in excitement as he prepared to fight this monster of spiritual presence he had heard of…

Only to see his blade miss a simpering terrified young Shinigami who looked rather weak. His sword had just barely missed decapitating the young man.

Hanatarō Yamada let out a miserably terrified shriek, his pale face twisting into a whimpering pout as he sped off into the distance leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

Kenpachi snorted, turning away in disappointment.

"Shit! Where the hell is that spiritual presence!?"

Kenpachi had definitely felt that…or at least heard it…

"Ay! Yachiru, you felt that at least, didn't ya?!"

"Wow, Kenny! Do you think it was that strawberry head?!"

Kenpachi grunted, shaking his head gruffly.

"No…Ichigo can't be that strong…it's something else…someone else."

Yachiru giggled, swinging her head down to look at Kenpachi's face upside down as she balanced on his shoulders.

He looked quite serious, as if he were contemplating something.

"What's on your mind, Ken-chan?!"

Kenpachi suddenly glanced up at her and gave her a wide, ferocious grin.

"Just how much I'd love to fight whoever the hell this is and cut him apart!"

She pouted.

"'He'? Why can't it be a girl!?"

Kenpachi grunted in exasperation.

"Feh! It doesn't matter what age, gender they are, what they look like, if they're a big ugly fox thing like that Captain guy or some idiot blind man…I don't care…I just wanna cut 'em! Take me there, Yachiru!"

Yachiru giggled, swinging back to her upright position on Kenpachi's shoulders and pointing in a seemingly sudden and random direction.

"That way Kenny!"

Kenpachi grunted in affirmation and they headed off into that direction.

Which was back down the exact way they had come from in the first place, retaking their tracks and heading off in another totally incorrect and random direction.

It didn't seem like there'd be any Kenpachi action for a while…

* * *

Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai let out a humorless grunt as he sat upon his ivory throne, his face revealing no emotion or compassion.

He had governed this land as well as he could as a warrior and compassionate Shinigami, or so he thought.

Perhaps he had made sacrifices or decisions that may be seen as cold or merciless, but one has no choice when encumbered with such an awesome responsibility.

His face was mottled with many scars and wrinkles that spoke of this responsibility, of the toils of battle and misery and experience and glory.

He barely flinched or even reacted at the explosions in the faraway distance, or the spiritual presence rising that was so connected to his.

It was obvious though…who had returned…inevitable even…his…

"_Don't be difficult….I'm leaving you with your uncle…"_

"_No! Daddy, please don't leave! Where's mommy?!"_

"_She's dead, Kaworu…"_

"_No! You're lying!"_

"_You saw it with your own eyes…you remember…"_

What a weak willed boy…So easily spun into a rage, or sorrow, or compassion or love! So easily emotional, so fragile! He had fallen into a terribly heavy love with that fool woman; he had fallen into a gravely decisive anger because of the slaughter of a mere thousand or so Quincy. How pitiful.

There could be no such weakness in the Yamamoto-Genryūsai line, Captain Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai knew this well. Such weakness could endanger Soul Society itself.

One had to be unflinching and even sometimes cold and cruel to rule this land safely.

He turned to see his Lieutenant, Chōjirō Sasakibe kneeling before him, ready for orders. _A far younger Chōjirō Sasakibe was kneeling before him, speaking in calm and measured tones._

"_She was…she became a Hollow, Captain. We had no choice but to eliminate her."_

_Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai stared at him intently, hiding any emotion or regret._

"_Understood. Good work."_

Shigekuni only sighed gravely, nodding to his Lieutenant as he delivered his orders in similarly calm and measured tones.

"Follow them…make sure the executions are done efficiently, if not, destroy them all…I give you permission to use Gonryōmaru's true ability on this occasion if needed, unlike the run-in with the ryoka."

_Go…and do the will of Soul Society…Mercy is a luxury in our age._

* * *

Izura Kira stumbled backwards, gasping in exhausting, exasperation, and what was slowly becoming a sheer terror of the events that were occurring.

Yet another blow had been dealt to his teetering, bloody body, and he had the feeling he had just barely dodged a fatal wound this time around. There were slashes covering his entire body.

_Gendo only shook his head, his blade still pointed in Kira's direction as he spoke in his wizened and melodious voice. _

"_Show him the stillness of fate, Tokikaze."_

Izura grunted, watching as Gendo pointed his blade at the Lieutenant again, the same motion.

_That bastard…what the hell is going on? I strike at him, and strike nothing…as if he's a ghost…and then he just appears right behind me ready to attack!? And even if I don't attack him, he's suddenly behind me anyway, in an instant, yet I still see him in front of me…What trick is this? It isn't flash stepping or sheer speed, it's even faster, there's no sign of his spiritual presence or movements when he does whatever this is…it's untrackable!_

Kira grit his teeth, staring at Gendo, the old man standing wistfully in front of him.

This time, Kira would concentrate.

_You're not taking me by surprise this time, old ma-_

"Daydreaming, young Lieutenant?"

Kira had no time to react as the blade sang through the air towards his unprotected neck.

* * *

Kisuke Urahara had stumbled upon the fight at just the right time it seemed, Renji Abarai following close behind.

_This old man? Can it be?_

Kisuke watched absentmindedly as Lieutenant Izura Kira faced down the old man before him.

Renji watched silently with an annoyed grimace on his face, having been urged back by Kisuke before he could leap in and help his fellow Lieutenant.

_What the hell?!_

Izura Kira was standing still like a pole, staring off intently at some spot in front of him while the old man had leisurely strolled past him and behind him, raising his blade to attack.

_So-that's what's going on…but…Shit! There's no time!_

He shoved Renji backwards quickly, giving himself space as he drew his sword cane.

"Okiro, _Benihime!"_

* * *

"Daydreaming, young Lieutenant?"

Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai smiled sorrowfully as he brought the blade coming from his fist down towards Lieutenant Izura Kira's neck.

The young man had had no time to react to Tokikaze's abilities or speed.

"Goodby-"

"_Nake_, Benihime!"

_What?!_

Gendo's eyes widened as a small oval-shaped crimson barrier of energy surrounded Lieutenant Izura Kira, finding his blade unable to pierce it and continue the strike at the young Lieutenant's neck.

In fact, he found the force of the sudden barrier sending him stumbling backwards, grunting as he pressed Tokikaze into the dirt to steady himself.

He grunted as he raised his gaze just in time to glimpse the fluttering robes of former Captain Kisuke Urahara just as he landed between Gendo and the surprised Lieutenant Kira.

Lieutenant Kira gasped in a sharp breath of air, unable to understand what was going on and why he was alive, falling backwards on his behind as Kisuke ordered him to run away.

_Dammit! I failed again…damn…what the hell is this guy Gendo?!_

Kisuke gave Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai a wide grin. Obviously they recognized each other through the foggy mist of time.

"You're supposed to be dead, Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai."

Gendo snorted, staring fiercely at Kisuke as he hissed out a reply.

"Same to you, Kisuke Urahara. Kaworu told me all about you."

"Did he now? Send him my regards; I'm surprised he's back around these days. Maybe I'll give him a greeting personally?"

Gendo growled, pointing Tokikaze's blade at Kisuke.

"You'll do no such thing…I will send you into the grave you belong within, Kisuke Urahara."

Kisuke gave him a lazy grin.

"What, with your fancy shikai? Will you use the same tricks and fool games you used on young Kira here? I'm not easily fooled, old man. I know all about your abilities."

"Hm?!"

"Oh yes…I understand it all completely, your move. It's quite clever, tricking your opponent by- "

"Silence!"

"Did I hit a nerve?"

Gendo growled, raising Tokikaze at Kisuke.

"Silence, I said! Show him the stillness of fate, Tokikaze."

Kira turned to Renji in fear.

"Shit, he's dead Renji!"

"Calm down, Kira!"

Kisuke's eyes watched intently as Gendo stood in front of him, and his blade Benihime rang out just as intently as Kisuke spun around just in time to gracefully block the sword of the Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai directly behind him.

Gendo's eyes widened in surprise and he just barely managed to dodge Benihime's return strike. The old man stumbled backwards, leaping and landing a few feet away from Kisuke's grinning form.

Gendo stared at him in angry disbelief.

"What? Surprised I saw through your attack? As I was saying before you interrupted me so rudely, I understand it completely. The foundation of your abilities are based on one of Tokikaze's hidden techniques…illusionism…I remember it now. But your illusion is different from normal ones, it takes a few steps. First you raise your blade to point at your opponent, attracting their full focus with that weird pose. Then you slowly move your hand to reveal that kanji on your palm, reading 'fate', letting your opponent focus on your face slowly revealed behind your palm."

Kisuke paused, drinking in Gendo's surprise as he continued.

"The scariest thing about this technique is that the better you are at observing an opponent's moves or detecting their spirit, the more you'll stare at these deceptive movements you make with Tokikaze. Then the opponent who stared at your zanpakutō moves into the third stage of the illusion, all of this having lasted a few mere seconds, creating instant unconsciousness between consciousness…this unconsciousness lasts only a few seconds, but that is already sufficient. They are left staring at what appears to be you standing before them, when in reality they are in a spell of momentary unconsciousness. By the time your opponent realizes the 'mirage' in front of them isn't real, you have already maneuvered yourself to a position behind them, ready to strike and kill! From the view of the people who get caught by your technique, it almost looks like you teleported."

Gendo's eyes widened.

"How…did you find out?"

"When I saw the 'you' in front of Kira had absolutely no shadow…It reminded me of reading your profile in the Shinigami Research Institute I founded after you left…Oh, I read all about your shikai in the records…it's very fascinating you know. I had all kinds of access like that when I took over as Captain of 12th Division after your 'disappearance'."

Kisuke paused, smirking, though his eyes had a tinge of sorrow as he continued.

"Plus, there was once a wise and kind soul named Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai who told me, 'Don't be arrogant over one's skills, Kisuke. Don't completely believe everything, believe what you really see'."

Gendo grit his teeth, nodding wistfully to himself as if he had decided something after Kisuke had finished speaking.

"Then…I will absolve all formalities…Let me show you something I formulated past your records and knowledge…Deep within that dark pit where I lay for centuries."

Kisuke's eyes widened now in response to Gendo's words, if only an imperceptible bit.

"What do you know of _pain_, Kisuke Urahara?! Of exile? Of Soul Society's punishment? You and that whore my young nephew adored, you two simply fled, I have heard, fled your punishments! We were not such a dishonorable, cowardly sort. While you were out there, I was rotting away in that hole…until Kaworu came. I learned much in that darkness, and so did Tokikaze…"

Kisuke took a step back, urging Renji and Kira to give him room as Gendo continued.

"Let me show you the lessons of time and eternity, Kisuke Urahara, one colleague to another. Let me enlighten your fascinating _research, _Kisuke Urahara…"

He gripped Tokikaze by the blade that sprouted out of his metal hand as he continued, as if he intended to yank it out.

"_Tokikaze_…Bankai! _Chir__eksi__ Okki_!"

* * *

Ichigo Kurosaki grunted, barely conscious against the rubble Yoruichi had rested him upon.

His vision blurred as he squinted his eyes, barely making out two figures in the distance, facing each other.

One seemed female, the other tall and masculine.

They seemed to have known each other for ages, or so it looked to Ichigo as he watched them standing silently before each other.

_Useless…I was…useless…_

He grit his teeth, his head lolling back as he let out a sigh that was painful to exhale.

_Dammit…dammit…I'll become stronger Zangetsu…much stronger…I'll show that bastard!_

* * *

Yoruichi Shihouin slowly circled this lost past, this bleached memory long forgotten, this disgruntled male Shinigami who stood before here.

He stared intently at, though his face betrayed no emotion or anger, and she almost felt like reaching out and stroking it.

This was madness of course. She had seen what he had mercilessly done to Ichigo, he was like a coiled viper, he would stop at nothing to harm…

_But how had SHE harmed him? Beyond measure? How could she stand here again, ready to harm the one she lov-had loved…No…she couldn't let such thoughts weaken her…she had moved on…experienced much with Kisuke Urahara…This was a figment of madness from her past she had no choice but to eradicate._

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai meanwhile continued staring at her silently with his grave deep eyes, not speaking a word as she circled him once more.

Suddenly she rushed forward, her graceful and blinding flash steps bringing her directly behind him as she launched a lithe roundhouse kick at his back.

Quickly he caught her foot, swinging her away as he rushed forward himself, grunting as he sent a cascade of punches hurtling at her flying form.

"I…wanted you to…strike first you know…a part of me wanted it to affirm that nostalgic vision of you stabbing me as I embraced you…still couldn't believe it had been you, my love, who stabbed me so…now I know…my delusion was not illusion…"

She grunted, barely dodging her punches as she flash stepped behind him, only to discover he was already right behind her and sending a powerful kick at her back.

She dodged most of it, stumbling away with a painful and angered grunt.

"What?!"

Yoruichi's eyes widened as the punch she sent at his face was firmly but almost gently caught by his open hands.

Kaworu smiled sadly, as if acknowledging and reading the disbelief in her mind.

"The 'Goddess of Flash' being outpaced! Surprised? This is the power given to me by my bankai…the only one who ever glimpsed it was father…back then…but you know the story…He's still standing, isn't he, more or less alive…"

_Damn! At this rate she'd have to use her…No…she hadn't used Hachimitsu since that day…why use it now? She didn't need to depend on her blade, she hadn't since then! She wouldn't start now!_

She grit her teeth, leaping nimbly backwards, back flipping a few times gracefully before she landed.

"Enough…talk of the past…Kaworu. It was unfortunate, I understand, but there are no justifications for your actions. We made mistakes, but-"

Kaworu's eyes widened with a barely perceptible madness that seemed deep as the abyss.

"'Mistakes'?! Mistakes? Made mistakes? You _killed me. You killed me, Yoruichi Shihouin._"

He lifted up his Captain's garments partly, revealing the long scar that ran deep across his torso.

"Or did you forget? We were young, after all! Things like murder and wanton betrayal are easily forgotten by such a mind, hm? I guess you just _moved on, _huh? Kind of silly for me to be dwelling on the past, huh?"

Kaworu's voice was growing uncontrollable, as well as the swelling sadness in Yoruichi as she listened.

_No…I can't let myself break down…I have orders…I have responsibility…if Soul Society is allowed to fall…then chaos will reign...this is unfortunate, but a victory for Kaworu would be a victory for Aizen…I cannot allow that._

Suddenly she flash stepped forward at blinding speed, interrupting Kaworu's rambling words as she sent a nimble kick swinging straight at his face.

Only for her lithe leg to be blocked by Inazuma's long spear pole.

Kaworu slammed the spear down into the dirt so it would stand upright by itself, so quickly that Yoruichi's foot was still slamming into his upright spear as he leapt forward freely without a weapon in his hand.

Quickly he sent a hard kick into her stomach, and as she slowly (in his perception) reacted from that, he sent a quick punch to her neck which was surely painful and a more powerful swinging blow directly at her face.

All this had happened in but a few mere seconds.

When the dust had cleared, all that stood upright were Inazuma and Kaworu as he landed from his quick combo.

Yoruichi grunted and coughed spittle and blood, her eyes hardening as she watched Kaworu.

_So…he's gotten this much faster…and stronger…I can't humor myself with the idea I can continue to fight at this level…I'd…die…No…I have no choice, do I, Hachimitsu?_

Slowly, but surely, Yoruichi Shihouin reached for the blade sheathed at her hip, the one she hadn't used or drawn in centuries…since it had been used to slay a certain Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai.

It was almost poetically appropriate.

Almost.

* * *

Well, hope you're enjoying this fanfic…Do keep reading and reviewing…

Anyway, expect Yoruichi to pull out her big guns to try to bring Kaworu down in the coming chapters…

And let's see if the other prodigy, the always calm and confident Kisuke Urahara can defeat old man Gendo, embittered and enraptured by time and his past. 

Seeya next chapter!


	9. Amor Est Vitae Essentia

Well, not many readers or anything apparently, or reviews….but I carry on…I carry on…I like writing this fanfic, even if practically next to no one really reads it.

Hopefully someone's reading this, and if so, thanks, and thanks for your reviews.

Hope you enjoy this chapter, because I enjoyed writing this…

Actually, I think this chapter is the longest I've written so far in this story...maybe by a few dozen words. 

Great stuff ahead with this plot, get ready for the next few chapters to be pretty crazy…

I'll be updating this as well as I can.

Let's get this started!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc.. Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

Yoruichi Shihouin stood before Kaworu, and Kaworu found himself suddenly shuddering, his hand reaching out to slowly grip his trembling skull. 

_My glance fell on a girl my age trotting past me, but it was too discreet for anyone to notice. Yoruichi Shihouin__, beautiful by all standards and smart as well, she was no supermodel necessarily, but she had marvelous hair and a beautiful face that hinted at her patrician upbringing. Indeed she was simply the latest in a long stream of girls of similar nature and appearance that I have secretly admired, all through Shinigami Academy even. I felt my gaze wandering to her long legs, to her kind face, to her pleasant eyes, and wondered why I was so mesmerized by them. I could come up with simply hundreds of thousands of adjectives to describe them, but no words to explain why I felt this way. They were simple body parts, nothing more, why did I find them so sublimely beautiful? How did I even bring up my definition of beautiful? Perhaps this was what I've been programmed over the years to be mesmerized, by my family, by the people around me. But I supposed that that is how one defines oneself, by the entities and objects around themselves. She is certainly quite mesmerizing._

Kaworu's eyes widened as he watched Yoruichi reach for the sword at her back.

He could feel the scar he had all across his torso tingling with nostalgia.

"You're not the only one who's grown, Kaworu…I'm afraid…I can't allow you to carry this on any further…"

Kaworu grit his teeth, studying her carefully as she drew her long zanpakutō. It seemed to be a rather long nodachi with prominent silk tassels all around its hilt and flowing down onto its holder's arm.

Hachimitsu was impressively beautiful indeed, elegant with a long white blade that had a hue of golden yellow. Kaworu had often complimented Yoruichi about its beauty in relation to her own, but that had been before he had tasted Hachimitsu's sting in his stomach.

It had been as burning and memorable as one of Yoruichi's kisses, sliding into his torso and nearly killing him instantly.

It had been a wonder he had survived…

_No…not a wonder…it had been…Inazuma…_

On that day, Inazuma had truly awakened and saved him, for the first real time. From that day forward, Kaworu depended on nothing else, no one else. His blade could not betray him, would not, but every living being around him had the potential and prerogative.

Even his Uncle Gendo, he had only brought that old fool along because he figured Gendo's anger for Kaworu's father would outweigh any possible chances of betrayal. Still, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai trusted no one.

Kaworu was still lost in thought as Yoruichi raised her blade, speaking up firmly.

"Shiko, _Hachimitsu_!"

Kaworu ignored her shikai, still lost in thought. A closer eye at Hachimitsu would reveal that all Yoruichi's shikai changed was an elongation of the white silk tassels that hung from the hilt. Now they flowed and wrapped all the way around her delicate arms.

_Kaworu's eyes opened wide as he felt the proximity and mutual warmth of their faces, slowly moving his lips closer and closer to hers, without really thinking about it, unconsciously, they edged closer, two chess pieces in the game of love._

_Closer, and closer, he could feel her breath upon his lips, he could see her calmly shut eyes, for he, on the other hand, had his eyes wide open, astonished and mesmerized by her face and by everything that was going on now, inside and outside of him, beyond his control. He had tried to make everything logical and within his control in all his life, but here was something he could not comprehend._

_Checkmate._

_Kaworu stiffened, almost offended by the reservoir of warmth and softness he found in the kiss, of love, of kindness, it scared him, and he, who was not afraid of death, was mesmerized by a simple girl. She was just a girl. Just a girl. Just a girl. Just a girl._

_Kaworu's mind shut down as his eyes shut down calmly, the kiss continuing, his face at peace with hers as those words echoed through his mind irrelevantly. _

_Just a girl…just a girl…_

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai could feel his very pores giving off her stink, the smell of fresh sweat they made after lovemaking, that perfume she had always used, the smell of her hair freshly cleaned.

It was suffocating him.

It had been centuries since they had met, and now they met on these terms.

"Just as you have reached bankai, so have I, Kaworu. This has gone on long enough."

She sounded determined, emotionless even.

He trembled, raising his face to stare at hers as she pointed her blade in his general direction.

"_Hachimitsu_…Bankai! _Shik__inu Shiranami_!"

That intimidating blade was suddenly even more golden white and beautiful, shortening slightly until it was the length of a normal wakizashi. However the long silk tassels that had flowed up her arms in the shikai were now like a massive web of silky waves flowing aimlessly all around her. No longer binded to her body, they flowed out of the hilt and swirled in her wake like a great spider web or as if she was producing an aura of flowing threads around her.

Yoruichi truly looked like a goddess, her beauty equaled by her blade and its flowing silk bindings.

Suddenly, she disappeared, only to reappear in blinding flash step directly in front of him.

She was fast! Faster than he could see at this level! So this was her bankai! The Goddess of Flash was amazingly speedy enough, but this type of movement was beyond belief!

Before he could even react, those long white waves of silk flowing from her hilt had wrapped all around his arms like confining bandages, and that golden white blade was hurtling straight for his throat.

Gendo blinked numbly as the wave of blood splashed upon him.

He did not even flinch against the liquid, standing with a blank face and turning away from the fight…from her vengeful face.

The waves of binding silk retreated from his arms and he stumbled back from the wound that had been delivered at his shoulder.

He touched his damp clothes, bringing up the liquid and smelling it.

It smelled like _her._

* * *

Captain Sajin Komamura strolled dominantly down the great white steps as the tremors shook Soul Society. 

The tremors of a battle he knew was happening, but a battle he was under orders to ignore and not take part in.

One thing was absolute, his belief in General Yamamoto's actions and orders.

However, inklings of doubt had been infecting his head ever since it had been exposed to the open air outside of his bamboo mask.

Ever since that bastard Zaraki Kenpachi had freed him, he'd felt a newfound confidence regarding his appearance, though he still kept on his confining clothes and long gloves to hide every other sign of his anthropomorphic appearance.

He had been infected with inklings of doubt that overloaded his normal pretensions. The idea that Tōsen's conscious was absolute, the idea that all justice was absolute and black and white. He had had pretensions that Kenpachi was a wild beast and that Tōsen was a being of justice…

Even now they were unsettled, despite his vow to bring back Tōsen. Even now he wondered if he had any right to regard Kenpachi a wild fool or if it were wise to follow orders so obediently when he could sense the massive spiritual presences fighting far away.

His inner thoughts were halted by a small grunt below him, and he noticed in prudent horror that he had accidentally bumped or nearly run over the short Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya before him.

A quick cursory glance revealed that Captain Soifon was there as well.

Komamura raised his voice, still feeling a bit of trepidation about his true appearance, ready to apologize.

"Sorry, Captain Hitsu-"

"It's alright, Captain Komamura…there's something more important awry…"

Soifon suddenly turned to Hitsugaya, shaking her head.

"Regardless of General Yamamoto's orders…I can't just stay still like this…especially…"

_Especially because of Yoruichi this morning…this has to have something to do with her…I feel as if I can almost sense her spiritual presence…of course I can't just come out and say something like that…_

"Especially what?"

"Nothing…it's just that we should know by now that orders aren't absolute, we have rights to question and contemplate them, or disaster on the scale of the betrayal of Aizen could occur again. We were all following orders back then, you know…"

"Captain Soifon, are you sure you understand what you're saying? We're under orders to-"

Tōshirō Hitsugaya had been thinking along the same lines, but he never imagined someone who seemed as strict and formal as Soifon would ever bend or ignore rules or orders.

"I know our orders…but…I have no choice. I apologize…Captains."

And with that she disappeared, surely flash stepping away towards that distant battle at top speed.

Captain Hitsugaya sighed, turning back to Captain Komamura who had been silent and rather non-present. It was surprising that such a massive and unique Captain could have such a small presence when he chose to, but Hitsugaya knew nothing of Komamura's past of hiding his spiritual presence and trying his best to keep everything hidden inside.

"Captain Komamura, I wonder, what do you think concerning General Yamamoto's orders?"

Komamura paused for only a mere few seconds before responding formally but firmly.

"They are to be followed at our utmost ability, of course. Even if they happen to order us into non-action."

Tōshirō Hitsugaya nodded quickly, as if this had been the reply he had been expecting even before he had vocalized the question.

The pause on Komamura's part did not go unnoticed by Hitsugaya, however. It had never existed before.

* * *

"What do you know of _pain_, Kisuke Urahara?! Of exile? Of Soul Society's punishment? You and that whore my young nephew adored, you two simply fled, I have heard, fled your punishments! We were not such a dishonorable, cowardly sort. While you were out there, I was rotting away in that hole…until Kaworu came. I learned much in that darkness, and so did Tokikaze…"

Kisuke took a step back, urging Renji and Kira to give him room as Gendo continued.

"Let me show you the lessons of time and eternity, Kisuke Urahara, one colleague to another. Let me enlighten your fascinating _research, _Kisuke Urahara…"

He gripped Tokikaze by the blade that sprouted out of his metal hand as he continued, as if he intended to yank it out.

"_Tokikaze_…Bankai! _Chireksi Okki_!"

Kisuke's eyes widened and he downright ordered Renji to pick up Kira and unconscious Isane and hop over to the other building roofs, even though Renji was resistant and annoyed.

Kisuke Urahara hadn't felt fear for a long while, and he did not feel it now, but this development certainly irked him a great deal.

Bankai? He had no idea Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai was even alive, let alone at this sort of level. He had been gone for centuries…

It certainly annoyed him not to have heard of this or seen it in the research, however, it mattered but little. Kisuke Urahara prided himself in being able to figure out tactics and weaknesses in his enemy at the spot, quickly and efficiently. He had a glaringly dangerous mind.

Now, as Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai declared bankai, he continued gripping Tokikaze and indeed yanked the blade out of his metal hand which was quickly returned to its former flesh state.

Indeed Gendo only held the blade now, and it slowly elongated and changed until it was a fierce black katana that looked surprisingly like what Kisuke had heard Renji tell him Ichigo Kurosaki's bankai looked like.

Gendo flash stepped in front of him in a flash, sending his blade slashing wildly at Kisuke, who simply gracefully parried with his Benihime and forced Gendo back away.

This happened a few more times, Gendo trying to increase his speed and power and flash step towards Kisuke with a flurry of slashes and thrusts, but in the end Kisuke simply forced him back over and over.

Now Gendo was forced back for the tenth or eleventh time, and seemed to be panting from fatigue.

Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai had never been much of a swordfighter and Kisuke now found him markedly unimpressed.

"Is that really all you can do? I'm disappointed."

Gendo raised his eyes to lock with Kisuke's, and the old man sighed.

"No…I simply wanted to see if I could defeat you by blade instead of using my bankai's true ability. You see, even I consider it far too cruel to use on another living being, even on such scum as you…"

"All talk! All talk! You're just trying to delay us, right? I bet the entire might of Soul Society is already coming to smash you and your nephew, you know…There's no point."

At that point, Gendo smirked.

"Oh, I found a Hell Butterfly that told me far different, Kisuke Urahara. We're being kept under wraps by my brother, concealed you could say, so he can send off his assassins to kill us again. Or so he thinks. The majority of Soul Society is probably still asleep or simply apathetic."

Kisuke's eyes widened in realization.

It was true; he hadn't seen any Captains or Lieutenants at all, except the three behind him.

His only outward response was a shrug.

"So be it. Then I'll simply have to handle you myself. I doubt I need to even utilize my bankai, which is providential. It'd probably do a lot of collateral damage, maybe even kill my Lieutenant friends there. And we can't have that."

Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai only sighed, shaking his head in what seemed to be deep sorrow.

The ground around them had slowly descended into total darkness, as if Kisuke and Gendo were standing on a murky pool of black shadows.

Kisuke had just realized this, and was stepping back in surprise.

Gendo spoke as he slid his blade into the shadows below as if they were a pool of water, Tokikaze disappearing below.

"I…suppose I have no choice…Tokikaze…Natsukashii!

And then…

Nothing…seemed to happen.

Kisuke raised his eyebrows and smirked, pointing Benihime at Gendo and planning to raze him to dust.

"That's all you've got, old ma-"

"Show him the grand ring of mortality, _Tokikaze_…"

Suddenly, Kisuke noticed the shadowy ground beneath him moving and warping, actual human shadows rising out of the ground and forming into figures around him.

The shadowy figures had no definition or features or faces, but slowly they began to form into normal-looking people.

Kisuke's surprised eyes spun around, looking at the people gathering around him, realizing he could no longer see Renji, Kira, Isane, or even Gendo himself.

Instead, he was surrounded by these strange people…no…he recognized some of them…wait, not some of them…one…two…three…four…

Face by face he realized that all the people standing around him were familiar.

They all held one thing in common.

They had been killed by Kisuke Urahara in his long lifespan as a Shinigami and Shinigami exile.

All of them…a great deal of them were Quincy he had fought, or rogue Shinigami or simply rivals and evil enemies…

All of them…even the great deal he barely remembered as Hollow spirits he had slain.

All of them…including his own brother, Touji Urahara,

_No…no…no…no…I didn't…I didn't…why is he…why are you here…no…no…it wasn't my fault…it wasn't my fault…it wasn't my fault…it wasn't my fault…he…he…accident…I didn't…I…no…no…no…_

Kisuke Urahara suddenly remembered Gendo's face shaking in deep sorrow, and he now realized why.

The figures all slowly closed in around Kisuke, who could just barely hold his blade Benihime up in startled defense. It seemed as if they wanted to give him a group hug.

Kisuke Urahara didn't know whether to scream, cry, flee, attack, or just fall to his knees.

Overwhelmed and surprised, he simply did the latter.

* * *

Kaworu stumbled backwards from yet another blow of Yoruichi's sword. 

She seemed quite determined and ruthless, and Kaworu realized with a tinge of fear that he couldn't sense any regret or emotion on her face anymore like when she had first come.

He had counted on her being the one overwhelmed with nostalgia and emotion, but it was him now just barely dodging attacks and getting slashed up.

Truly however, her bankai complimented her speed and fighting moves well, the long flowing silk threads wrapping around her opponent and helping make her blows and slashes even more terrifying and absolute.

Kaworu sent Inazuma thrusting at her stomach, only to watch the silk waves from her sword slam into the ground and send her propelling over the spear like they were spider legs.

They then wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his sides and strengthening the slam of the jump kick that she had launched into his chest. The bindings held him in place and made the blow even worse as she quickly worked herself into a combo of fist and foot.

It sent him stumbling backwards, spitting blood in surprise, almost falling over.

Her speed was surely eclipsing his at this level, and her moves were too smooth and precise for him to try to counter.

A thrust of Inazuma was suddenly repelled by the silk threads flowing around him, the fabric suddenly condensing in a web-like net in front of her strong enough apparently to send his blade flying back without a scratch on the defense.

His eyes widened in surprise from that, even he hadn't seen that coming. And so he was totally unprepared as Yoruichi flash stepped out of the web of fabric, the silk flowing behind her as she sent a stiff uppercut slamming into his chin.

The blow sent him flying a good twenty feet in the air, and before he could even come down she had already leapt up in a flash alongside him to deliver a hard kick which sent him flying up higher into the air.

Kaworu's eyes widened as yet another punch to his back sent him flying up so that he was now eighty feet in the air, wondering how Yoruichi managed to shadow alongside him with nothing to jump off.

Suddenly she was behind him as he hovered in the air about to fall back down mere gravity, her silk threads wrapping all around him as she grabbed him in a bear hug from behind.

He felt her breath against him, and her voice for the first time since the fight had entered its feverish climax.

"I'm…sorry…Kaworu…Hachimitsu… Senpūrendan!"

The silk threads binded him from his neck down to his toes, and suddenly he found himself upside down with her, her head against the middle of his back as she held him in her tight embrace.

And so they fell, spinning and hurtling upside down, his head protruded outwards for the certain killing blow that would happen when they landed while she remained safe, binding against him and riding him down.

So…this was her killing technique…and even now, he could feel her flowing silk threads and powerful spiritual energy increasing the fall's speed and making them spin like a corkscrew as they fell.

Certainly, anyone receiving this final blow would have their skull and neck smashed to dust from the landing.

_No…no…no…what did this woman mean to him? Long ago, he had shed his humanity for strength…no…had he shed it or had she simply carved the soul out of him with that traitorous stab of her blade as they had embraced?_

_Perhaps it had been a little bit of both…_

_Why had he weakened so much now, after seeing her again, under these circumstances?_

_Was it the memory of the love they shared…their embraces…_

_No…he could not…allow this._

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai's eyes pulsed with renewed energy as Yoruichi's embrace continued to hurtle him at top speed towards the ground.

He remembered now, his words to her.

_She only shook silently as crushing sobs overtook her, as his gentle caressing hand brushed against her soft lips and face._

_Suddenly however it took hold of her chin, roughly, painfully, with energy that should not have existed in a dying man._

_He pulled Yoruichi forward roughly by the chin so that she was inches away from his lips, her own breath washing against his short and hitched dying breaths. _

_Kaworu licked his lips, moving forward so that his lips were nearly touching Yoruichi, yet he halted before they met and smiled sardonically. _

_Yoruichi trembled in fear, noticing something in his eyes. Killing intent. Hate. They bored into her skull, mixed with sentiments that could have been love and morose abandonment of life._

"_Let me…teach you a valuable lesson… Yoruichi Shihouin…there is nothing in this world of worth…NOTHING! Love is a mere foolish fancy, as we both know well now. It is so easy to betray love…so easy to fall weak because of reliance on the human heart."_

_She flinched at his words._

"_As are all other adventures in emotion and frailty…useless…a waste of time, this existence."_

_To her surprise he rose, pushing her off of him and looking down imperiously at her as he yanked out the blade embedded in his chest in one clean motion._

_It clattered to the floor and blood began to rush unimpeded from Kaworu's fatal wound._

_As he stared down at her, he smiled, and then spit in her face, speaking slowly in contempt._

_"It is true, that which I have revealed to you; there is no God, no universe, no human race, no earthly life, no heaven, no hell. It is all a dream - a grotesque and foolish dream. Nothing exists but you. And you are but a thought - a vagrant thought, a useless thought, a homeless thought, wandering forlorn among the empty eternities!"_

Where had that determined apathy gone? That empty nihilism that drove him on…

That detachment…

He realized now, he had been depending too much on that dead Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai instead of the one that had been awakened with the great Dragon of Lightning, Inazuma.

That dead Kaworu had depended on Yoruichi's strength and love, this Kaworu depended on the strength and love of nothing but himself and Inazuma.

Having faced her again after such a long time, had relapsed back into the old Kaworu, the dead Kaworu, and now as they hurtled through the air she was planning to kill him once again.

_No…no…no…I can't die…I won't die…I am not that Kaworo Yamamoto-Genryūsai. He is dead, I was awakened, transformed, revived…I cannot die, I am Power…I have come to set things right and the only way that can be done is to deliver a pound of pain equal to mine to Soul Society and father…to rend them to DUST!_

_I've been holding back, ignoring Inazuma…relying on my emotion…being overtaken by that…that BITCH! _

_She tore out my heart, didn't she?! So why does she make it feel like this still? That isn't fair…I won't have anymore of this…_

_No…no…no…Not anymore…It's time to show them my true abilities._

As Yoruichi Shihouin delivered Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai's skull brutally into the ground below, Kaworu spoke one single word before the massive explosion of dust, before the ground that he had been hurtled towards reached up to meet his skull.

"No."

* * *

Could this be the end of Kaworu!?

Yoruichi's moves seem certainly impressive…if not rather familiar at some points…heheh…

Certainly she's even more powerful and dangerous like this, and with a blow like that, Kaworu has to be dead or at least messed up with a broken neck and crushed skull.

Especially from that high up…

And could this also be the end of Kisuke Urahara? He seems to be quite broken and confused by Gendo's abilities…and he also seems to have a bit of dark history concerning a certain member of his family….

Anyway, all those answers and much much more and more favorite characters and battles and maybe more Ichigo even and other stuff…

Just stick with me, onto the next chapter!


	10. Malum Discordiae

A very quick chapter huh?

I told you guys, I like writing this, but maybe I'm writing too quickly huh?

I mean, maybe I need to go back and revise some stuff? Or at least give you guys time to catch up, huh?

Well whatever, hope you don't find this chapter lame or hurried or badly written.

I'll be updating this as well as I can.

This is actually now the longest chapter I've ever written, and the fastest...hopefully that combination doesn't turn out bad... 

Let's get this started!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc.. Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

**Hueco Mundo **

**Las Noches**

"Did you send the EspadaUlquiorra?"

Ulquiorra stiffened and kneeled before his master, Aizen-sama.

He felt weighed down by a sense of belonging, obedience, and sheer terror.

"Yes, Aizen-sama…I have sent Halibel personally to infiltrate the area, after you gave her the orders…She was particularly irritated at hearing deployment orders from me, I noted."

Aizen snorted, leaning back and rubbing his chin as he sat atop his tall ivory throne.

"It is a wonder they are oblivious to it all…but not unexpected. Kaworu will make the perfect distraction…"

Ulquiorra's eyes widened and he glanced up at his master in searching curiosity and confusion.

"You wonder what I plan, do you Ulquiorra?"

"N-No, Aizen-sama. I believe in your every word."

"Hmmm…I will tell you this, there are more people than that foolish Kuchiki girl in Soul Society that interest me…"

He stared deep into Ulquiorra's eyes making him shudder, if only briefly as he rose from his throne and spoke in a booming voice laced with cold laughter.

"Did I not say it before? For a human, he was quite interesting! He and that friend of his…Both of them, quite interesting…"

Ulquiorra nodded slowly, his eyes gleaming without emotion as he registered quickly what Aizen-sama did with things that interested him

* * *

**Soul Society **

**Seireitei**

Yoruichi Shihouin nearly felt like crying as she delivered Kaworu down into the ground.

Nearly.

She let a cold isolated sense of duty she hadn't felt in centuries void out those emotions, though chilly frozen tears yet ran down her darkened face.

Her Hachimitsu had done the deed again…no, she had, Yoruichi Shihouin. She couldn't just lay the blame on her blade.

It had been her, murdering him again.

Yet inside she told herself, as she turned to Ichigo Kurosaki, that she hadn't had a choice at all.

She remembered Kaworu's last moments, in the binding strength of Hachimitsu's brutal Senpūrendan.

_They hurtled straight down, spinning in a violent corkscrew of energy that threatened to explode at that very instant as the ground rushed up steadily to meet them._

_She pressed her face against his back, and feeling his futile struggles against her silken bonds stopping, she pressed a kiss against his robes._

"_I'm…sorry…Kaworu…but I had…no…choice."_

_She could see his emotionless face, suddenly unnerving, and he turned to glance at her with a hate so immense that it made her shudder._

_He spoke only once before the ground rushed up and met his body in a massive explosion of dust, dirt, pain, and spiritual power._

"_No."_

She shuddered, shaking her head as she wiped the tears from her face.

No…she had grown since those days…what made this encounter with Little Okami so jarring? She had had no choice, she told herself. But hadn't she and Kisuke fled Soul Society for the very same reasons? A sense of disillusionment with the hierarchy's unflinching will and orders.

Hadn't Kaworu simply done the same, except a few centuries early, to find his best friend and lover turning against him?

She shook these thoughts out of her head and dared not look back at the massive crater that she had formed. She knew damn well what lay in there, and she didn't want to think about it any longer.

_His…corpse…I did it…I did it again…_

No…if she hadn't done this…then Rukia…then Ichigo…then Soul Society…and indeed the world would be in danger, and Aizen would be a step closer to his nefarious mechanizations.

Yoruichi sighed as she knelt down to Ichigo Kurosaki, stroking his cheek and trying to rouse him awake.

"Ichigo…Ichigo…It's over, wake up…"

Her voice was as nonchalant and confident as ever, however the tears would not stop.

* * *

The young woman with dark skin and tawny blonde hair strolled confidently through the empty corridors of the particular district of Seireitei she had infiltrated. 

She batted her strange red eyes and looked around.

It had surprised her how easy it had been, but Aizen-sama had said that the majority of the Shinigami would be too busy with internal matters to notice her presence if she hid her reitsu low enough.

It annoyed her, as well as the terribly fresh air and sunny disposition of Seireitei overall, but she had orders.

No one dared defy Aizen-sama.

Halibel kneeled down as she drew her zanpakutō and began her rites.

"Chuu, _Gusanocerebro_!"  
So far she had gone unnoticed by the Shinigami patrols, and it seemed unlikely they would sense her even now with that massive battle raging off in the distance.

No one dared defy Aizen-sama. And soon, his will would be made true all around existence.

* * *

Rukia Kuchiki found herself in a strangely familiar place. 

The infirmary.

She awoke with a gasp for air, only to find Captain Retsu Unohana quickly at her side, along with a concerned looking Captain Jūshirō Ukitake

She felt as if her body had been thoroughly pummeled, full of bruises and broken bones, but a quick inspection revealed nothing of the sort despite the pain.

Retsu sighed slowly.

"It will hurt for a while, Rukia Kuchiki…"

"Captains?"

Ukitake gave her a smile that seemed tinged with concern and morbid curiosity, brushing his long white hair from his face.

"Do you remember much, Rukia?"

Retsu seemed to want to protest this questioning of the patient, but Rukia proceeded regardless, whispering out her response timidly.

"I…don't know…I just remember seeing…brother…oh…"

_Rukia coughed up blood, falling to her knees as tears flowed down her face._

"_Bya…kuya…"_

_Suddenly she felt comforting arms wrap around her and she turned, seeing her brother's face smiling back at her as he lifted her up on his shoulder._

"_B-Brother…"_

_She sighed, feeling the comforting warmth as her eyes closed and she passed out._

"What happened?! Where's my brother?! Where's that man, I felt Ichigo as well, what-"

She gasped in pain as she tried to rise with her words, the soreness driving her back down to her bed and sending beads of sweat over her forehead.

Ukitake placed a pale delicate hand on her face, over her eyes, and after a few minutes she was asleep from sheer fatigue.

He nodded his farewell to Retsu, whispering slowly.

"It's better that she take this slowly, Captain Unohana…Captain Kuchiki was badly injured."

Captain Unohana gave a polite affirmation, though it had been her suggestion in the first place that Rukia be allowed rest and isolation.

Captain Jūshirō Ukitake sighed, making his way sluggishly out the front door of the infirmary, only to be instantly shot at with a familiar voice.

"Does she remember much?"

He turned, shaking his head as he faced the source of the voice, his old friend Captain Shunsui Kyōraku."

"It was unwise of us to stay out of the matter, as their seniors, Shunsui, you know this. We were their mentors, well at least two of the three Prodigies…that one, well; the old man trained his own son…"

Shunsui nodded slowly.

"The old man can be merciless at times, we know that best, better than his supposedly dead family. But…"

Ukitake smiled sorrowfully.

"Yes, you sense it too? Something else in the background…I think this is far more than some family drama to be allowed to rage on and on without interference."

"And what of the old man's orders?"

Ukitake smirked at Shunsui.

"Since when did we ever pay them much mind, eh?"

"Yep…It seems Miss Yoruichi is dealing with him at the moment, but I sense…"

"Yes, something amiss…Perhaps he is truly dead once and for all. It is a rather dark and cruel thing to hope, isn't it Shunsui?"

Shunsui sighed wistfully, looking down at his sheathed blades as the pair made their way away from the infirmary.

"Hope springs eternal, old friend. Let us dwell over these matters over some tea, I believe Nanao-chan is brewing some at this very moment!"

* * *

Kisuke Urahara rather wished he could remain on his knees with his eyes closed forever. 

Telling himself it was just a dream…just a dream…just a stupid illusion from a stupid old man's zanpakutō…

But he could feel cold metal against his neck, and a familiar, cold voice.

"Arise, brother."

He couldn't help but listen to the voice, opening his eyes and gazing at his dead brother Touji Urahara and his upraised sword.

He looked much like Kisuke, with sandy blonde hair, though it fell to his shoulders and he looked significantly younger.

Also surrounding Kisuke were a number of less vital faces, Hollows and various criminals of Soul Society he had killed.

He realized now the true terror of Tokikaze and Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai and he actually found himself smiling sadly for a moment.

_So…this is how you show me your pain…your pain…your loss…your time…your history…reflecting it with my own. I escaped, but you never had that chance…you were 'disappeared'…I see…but this…is too far…don't make me remember this!_

"Why so quiet, brother? You were so fascinated with me, before, were you not? Always asking me into your laboratory…And I, the eager young brother, never thought anything wrong with it…"

Kisuke trembled, taking a step backwards.

"I-It was a mistake, Touji! A mistake…A…miscalculation!"

Touji's eyes widened with anger and he pressed his hand against his own chest.

"MY SOUL, KISUKE! MY LIFE! You killed me, brother! And after I came to you for help!"

"_I'm…worried, Kisuke…my Shinigami exams are coming soon, and I've been having this terrible nightmares…I feel as if there's something inside me…another me…ever since that battle I had where I was severely wounded by that Hollow…I'm scared, Kisuke!"_

_Kisuke Urahara smiled kindly and patted his younger brother on the shoulder._

"_Don't be a crybaby Touji…c'mon, calm down…I'll run some tests on you, it's probably just fatigue…You came to the right place, little brother…"_

Kisuke shook his head, just barely summoning the will to dodge his brother's slashing sword towards his face.

"N-No…Don't make me…remember…"

"_What's wrong Kisuke? I don't understand? Are you telling me that this is all my imagination? The sleeping pains…the madness? You're telling me just to forget about it?"_

_Kisuke nodded reassuringly, smiling._

"_Just leave it be, get some rest…none of the tests revealed anything…I…think you're just tired, that's all…"_

"You knew all along, didn't you…you could sense my inner Hollow, but instead of helping me…you urged it along, you…all along you were thinking more as a researcher than as a brother!"

"N-No…"

_A Shinigami from his division rushed in, terror in his eyes._

"_Captain Urahara! It's your brother…he's…there's something…wrong with him! It's like a Hollow!"_

"_A Hollow?"_

"_We have no choice but to…sir…I'm sorry, but we have to stop this! He's going insane, it cannot be said to be your brother any longer!"_

"N-No…please…don't remind me…"

_Kisuke Urahara reached into the dying chest of his brother, realizing it now._

_Had he contributed to this demise by his non-action and his orders for his brother to ignore the obvious pain of his inner madness._

_He easily could've helped his brother, stopped the Shinigami squads from slashing up his brother's distorted Hollow form, stopped this from the beginning._

_Or could he have? Was it within his power?_

_It was easy to decide that it was not within his power, that his brother's death was out of his control._

_Easy to justify it as he reached into his brother's chest and felt that rising glowing orb of white beauty floating out of it._

_He had spent centuries trying to extricate it. _

"_The…orb!"_

"You used the very boundary of my own soul to construct your precious Hōgyoku! Was it worth it, brother?! Was it?! Did you enjoy watching the Shinigami divisions hack me to pieces because of the monster I'd become?! Because of the monster you already recognized?! You let me DIE!"

Touji rushed forward, Kisuke rolling away from him and slashing two or three Hollow spirits into dying body parts with Benihime.

Kisuke quickly pushed and slashed away any of the others that tried to approach him, but his only reactions to Touji's moves were quick dodges and tired ducks.

He couldn't keep this up any longer. He had to do something, his brother wasn't pulling punches.

He had to fight back, or he would lose his own life…and this couldn't be real anyway! His brother was…dead…

Was he at it again? Justifying and calculating? How much had his brother's life been worth to him?

Was it not much like Kaworu, his former best friend? He had weighed the idea of betraying Soul Society against betraying his best friend, and Soul Society had won.

In this case it was now his own life against his brother, his research against his humanity.

And as Touji Urahara rushed forward to deliver yet another stab, Kisuke felt suddenly exhausted and unwilling to move.

Enough calculations. Enough plotting. Enough research. Enough weighing the lives of others and risks and odds.

"Touji…Kaworu…everyone…I'm…sorry…"

Kisuke Urahara didn't even flinch or move as Touji's sword slashed into his right side and out his back.

Touji simply stared at Kisuke bewildered in disbelief as the blood dripped from the wound onto the ground.

As the blood fell upon the shadowy darkness below them, Touji Urahara and the other shadows around Kisuke Urahara simply shimmered out of existence to reveal that Kisuke had been on the same battlefield when Gendo had used Tokikaze originally.

Kisuke Urahara's body let out a long flying spray of blood as the sword piercing it and indeed its owner simply shimmered out of existence.

The dying former Captain simply toppled over onto the ground, no longer moving.

* * *

**Unknown**

Ichigo Kurosaki gasped for air, finding himself suddenly in a shimmering void of darkness.

In front of him was the embodiment of Zangetsu, staring at him coolly and shaking his head.

"You failed, did you not? You still haven't found the true skills I can provide you…how long until the other YOU takes over?"

Ichigo shook his head, snarling furiously.

"N-No…Never! I'll never allow that!"

"And will you allow Kaworu to take away Rukia? Will you allow your friends to be harmed again and again? You are weak! You failed already! You had to be _rescued!"_

Ichigo grit his teeth, some of his former spirit returning.

"Screw you, bastard! I'll be plenty strong, I just need more-"

"What? Training? With who, Urahara? With cat woman? It'll take you nowhere, Ichigo!"

Ichigo trembled, clenching his fists as Rukia appeared to his right and Orihime appeared to his left.  
They spoke in unison, almost in monotone.

"You want to save us, don't you?"

Chad slowly rose out of the darkness with Ishida and Ichigo's sisters and father. They all spoke in unison as well.

"And all of us."

Ichigo nodded feverishly, grasping his skull.

"Y-Yes…with you, Zangetsu, I'll protect them all!"

Ichigo Kurosaki never noticed Zangetsu's strange smirk and red eyes. He was too engrossed with a single thought.

"POWER! I need more power! I need the strength to protect all of my friends!"

Suddenly, a familiar male voice behind him that sent a shiver up his back.

"I can give you all of that, Ichigo Kurosaki."

Ichigo spun around and found himself faced with none other than former Captain Sōsuke Aizen.

Ichigo Kurosaki found his scream of anger, surprise, and terror unable to leave his throat.

* * *

**Soul Society **

**Seireitei**

Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai sighed, staring down at the result of his zanpakutō's madness. He shook his head in sorrow, giving one last glance at Kisuke Urahara's dead body and turning away.

"It is with grave sorrow that I took your life, Kisuke Urahara. Such sadness in your soul. Tokikaze makes experienced warriors such as you pay true penance, facing all you have slain over your life as a Shinigami. Such a pity."

He glanced at the three Lieutenants, Renji, Isane, and Kira, the trio rather shabby and unprepared, staring in fear at the victorious Gendo. They stood about thirty feet away and seemed ready to flee.

Gendo nodded wistfully.

"Yes…run, young ones, before I deal you the same fate as-"

"Okiro, _Benihime!"_

Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai suddenly stiffened at the voice, looking down at Benihime protruding out of his chest, his head turning just a bit to see Kisuke's exhausted form behind him.

Kisuke pushed the old man off of his blade and fell to his hands and knees, panting and spitting blood as he strived to stay conscious.

_Can't…let him…kill me…not yet…not yet…Isshin…Yoruichi…Not yet…KAWORU!_

* * *

**Unknown**

"_Can I dream alone?"_

"_That would not be a dream. It would just be a projection of reality."_

"_Then... where is my dream?"_

"_That is the extension of reality."_

"_My... where is my reality?"_

"_That is at the end of the dream."_

Ichigo Kurosaki woke up with a start, sweat dripping off his brow, to find himself laying in the infirmary, his entire body aching.

"Where am I? Yoruichi? Did Kaworu…am I injured? Did he die? Where's Rukia?!"

Ichigo paused to stare up at the ceiling, muttering under his breath.

"Unfamiliar ceiling…"

He turned to see a familiar Shinigami girl standing to the side of his bed, her soft eyes flashing with unreadable emotions.

"Where am I, Rukia?"

"_Earlier you said that…miracles only happen once. So what would you call it this time?"_

"Fighting Byakuya? No, I'm not there..."

Rukia stood beside Kurosaki's bed, startling him with her voice, a voice he had grown to love and at times abhor.

"If you don't try to further yourself and challenge yourself, you will never grow in strength, Ichigo…Sometimes that means sacrificing your beliefs…or even your soul…to gain the strength to defend your friends against certain death. "

Orihime appeared at the foot of the bed, still as she had been when he had last seen her, her soft voice piercing into Ichigo's very essence.

"Please…Ichigo…you cannot let them kill us…they'll take me…they'll take Rukia…they'll take us all…You have to find a new path to protect us…You couldn't even beat Kaworu…What makes you think you can…beat…"

A new commanding voice rose over the others, Ichigo craned his head to see a tall man with a cold stare and glistening eyes.

"Aizen..."

"Human, you have no strength in your current form…You are nothing but a plague, a weakness among your companions! I overestimated you, drifter…You are too fickle and stubborn, unwilling to consider other paths to strength if they could protect your friends from harm."

Rukia nodded slowly.

"It was my brother's stiff stubbornness that caused his defeat, his rigidity, his refusal to change. You remember…"

"_How can you let your own sister be executed?!"_

Beside him was a woman with soft hair that resembled the glamorous painting his father had in their house. Ichigo Kurosaki knew very well who she was.

"Mother..."

"Ichigo…As long as the Sun, the Moon and the Earth exist, everything will be all right. You must gain the strength to defend your friends and loved ones, even if that means taking the path that you fear…"

Then there was a flash of light, and Kurosaki let out a shriek, clutching his head.

"I'LL PROTECT YOU ALL EVEN IF IT MEANS GIVING UP MY GODDAMN SOUL!"

* * *

**Soul Society **

**Seireitei**

Ichigo Kurosaki let out another scream and trembled in Yoruichi's embrace, making her brow furrow in confusion and worry.

It seemed almost like he was dreaming or having some horrible nightmare. He certainly wasn't conscious.

Yoruichi shook Ichigo gently and then frantically with increasing worry as she felt him go limp in her arms.

"Ichigo? Ichigo? What the heck is wrong with you? Come to already? I beat Kaworu! I beat him, it's ove-"

Suddenly a booming and eerily familiar voice interrupted her, confident and strong, but hollow and emotionless in the same turn.

"Not quite…"

Yoruichi spun around and nearly yelped in surprise, though her strength and experience simply made her response a stoic stare.

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai loomed dominantly in the horizon, atop a cliff next to the crater, his eyes blazing with the fury of a thousand suns.

"You see, Yoruichi, and you little Ichigo fellow, I haven't been…entirely truthful during this ordeal. For that, I suppose, I apologize."

He gripped Inazuma with both hands and raised it in front of himself.

"I suppose it was rude of me to underestimate you, Yoruichi. You nearly did me in there, you know. I thought I could save the best for my father, I thought I could beat the rest of you until I got to him on the basis of a charade."

Yoruichi stared up at him, utterly confused, while Ichigo moaned through his barely conscious state.

"You two seem confused…Let me elaborate. When I went-"

Kaworu grabbed Inazuma with both hands firmly, giving Ichigo a stare so fierce it seemed to bore straight through him. Except now he seemed to be doing this all in jest.

"Bankai! _Totatsu Tatsu Ouu_!"

His spiritual pressure rose a bit, and then steadied.

"When I went like that, I was sort of…lying. All I did was raise my spiritual pressure up to say, forty percent of my true power. See, I rather thought since I knew you would be dying horrible deaths anyway, I'd at least give you people the illusion of achievement by fighting me bravely at 'my highest level'. A bit rude, I know. But you should've thought it curious that my zanpakutō never actually changed…"

Ichigo's eyes widened in unabashed surprise and confusion, while Yoruichi took a step back that was partly fear and partly confusion.

_That…bastard…toying with us like that…Kaworu…you bitter and arrogant son of a bitch!_

She stared at him, noting with a bit of alien and obscene comfort that Kaworu had however taken a few good wounds for sure from Ichigo and her. His robes were covered in slashes, and there was blood dripping from his forehead.

_He probably flash stepped out right before I slammed him into the ground…so he was hiding that much power?!_

However, Kaworu seemed to bear it well, and he broke both Ichigo and Yoruichi out of their mental entanglements as he raised Inazuma once more in that familiar 'fake bankai' position.

"Now, let me enlighten you all…That day against my father, I was pitiful, my power barely existed on his realm. However, through a certain betrayal and death and through centuries of training, I have…well, you know Yoruichi…"

He mimed her earlier words mockingly.

"'You're not the only one who's grown, Kaworu…I'm afraid…I can't allow you to carry this on any further…' Well, let me show you my true growth, Miss Shihouin."

Kaworu gripped his spear even harder and grit his teeth, his eyes bulging as he uttered the following words in a fierce whisper that Ichigo and Yoruichi could nonetheless hear quite clearly.

"_Inazuma_…Bankai! _Adauchi Raikiri_!"

His muscles bulged and his spiritual power rose up and down drastically as his body crackled with pure reitsu.

The knuckles gripping his changing zanpakutō seemed to smolder until it was clear that golden-white kanji were forming tattooed on each finger's knuckle spelling the phrase "VENGEANCE IS MINE" ("Fukushû Suruwa Wareniari") across both hands.

The letters gave off smoke as they were seemingly tattooed onto him with an invisible hot iron, and as his newly changed hands gripped the spear, it began to change as well.

Inazuma seemed to grow longer and thicker, far stronger and sturdier looking and it changed further, obviously no longer a simple cross spear.

The perpendicular trio of blades ending in a sort of curved trident instead much like the blade of a sai.

This new Inazuma glowed with power, as did Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai's trembling form.

When the dust had cleared, it was obvious to Yoruichi Shihouin that this was the real deal.

_His…spiritual power…has at least doubled…He says he was fighting at only forty percent when he was faking his bankai…so what is this? Not even the true height of his power? Can there be more?_

Ichigo shook, seemingly passed out from the sheer spiritual presence of Kaworu, but Yoruichi lifted him and laid him comfortably on the ground, letting him sleep as she turned back to the ominously looming form of Kaworu in the distance.

She bit her lip, shouting out to him as she drew Hachimitsu once more.

_Could this be a losing battle for Yoruichi Shihouin? No…I can't lose…it all depends on me._

"Must we fight like this, Kaworu?! Is there no other way?"

Kaworu stared down coldly at her, his tattooed hands trembling around his spear. He seemed to leak danger and spiritual power.

He spoke now in a voice eerily unfamiliar to Yoruichi. Sure, she recognized his voice, but the way he spoke…it was like he was hollowed out…slightly different…yet rudely casual and comfortable.

It reminded her…of his dying moments back then…when he had spoke those words, taunting her even as his mortal blood flowed.

"Hah! Ichi-chan! You say such things now? Surely you aren't faltering already! When the odds were stacked on your side, you were full of bluster and strength. So ready to strike and end me for the 'good of Soul Society'. Tell me, Ichi-chan…"

She shuddered, not only because of him reverting back to calling her by that name, but also because he continued his sentence suddenly directly behind her, as if he had been there the whole time.

_This…speed…my god…_

"Tell me, where did that wonderful strength go? A beautiful woman like you should at LEAST DIE BEAUTIFUL!"

That last part was a screeching scream of pure unadulterated rage and fury as Kaworu brought his intimidating glowing spear of power slamming straight at Yoruichi's head.

* * *

Well, hope you enjoyed that chapter…

It seems Kaworu was toying with lives and fate again, a bit arrogant of him…I guess he just wanted to make Ichigo think he'd fought Kaworu at his highest level before Kaworu killed him. Almost out of pity. Same with Yoruichi until it turned out that Kaworu couldn't handle Yoruichi at that fake bankai level.

Oh, and if you remember Inazuma's real bankai form's description that I described in this chapter…

It's like a trident, except it has a "sai" point, I said. These are sai:

http://upload. ouch…is Kisuke Urahara dead?! What about his old opponent Gendo?!

We'll see who survived that terrible duel…if anyone!

Also, what the hell is wrong with Ichigo? Weird nightmares and hallucinations? Is it Zangetsu?

See ya next chapter!


	11. Tempus Edax Rerum

Well, here's the next chapter, hope you're enjoying the story so far.

For those who didn't quite understand the end of the last chapter (though all signs point to everyone understanding it, I just want to explain it again) with what happened to Kaworu's bankai, it is thus:

Kaworu underestimated Ichigo so much that when he declared his "bankai", all he really did was raise his energy to a level sufficient enough to beat Ichigo rather easily.

Then he underestimated Yoruichi and continued fighting on that level, but once Yoruichi used her bankai, Kaworu found himself in deep deep trouble and almost died.

He barely managed to get out of that killer blow she launched with her bankai, and now at the end of the last chapter he finally decided to use his bankai for real and his zanpaktou's appearance and even his appearance (the tattoos burnt onto his knuckles) changed. 

Obviously it seems Kaworu's bent on not going all out until he finds the real object of his anger (possibly his father…and/or even Kisuke?).

And if you're wondering how quickly I update and such, there's two reasons.

One, because I truly enjoy and love writing this story.

Two, because I actually have this fanfic (as I often do with most of my fanfics) planned ahead. I'm usually like four chapters ahead with my plan. So I just bring it to the keyboard and usually add more stuff from the top of my head as I go into it.

Truly this fanfic, out of my many fanfics, even my Evangelion fanfics which I'm more known for, is my favorite to write and it's the fastest I've updated with the largest chapters.

Hope you're enjoying it, thank you all for reading and reviewing, I really get a great boost whenever I get reviews, so don't stop. It tells me that there are people reading my fanfic, which urges me to continue writing.

Feel free to add questions or anything in your reviews too, I always try to answer and read.

Let's get this started!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc.. Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

**Soul Society **

**Seireitei**

Yoruichi just barely managed to dodge another massive swing of Kaworu's three-pronged spear, Inazuma's spiritual power cutting her a bit on the cheek regardless of her speed as she flash stepped away. 

This Yamamoto-Genryūsai was a whole different animal. From the very first swing onward, he had simply stopped talking at all whatsoever.

His body burned with an electrical rage and energy that she hadn't ever seen before, and his spiritual power seemed immense.

Yet at the same time…his eyes seemed…dead…hollow and empty, much like they had been when she had stabbed him.

Even his voice had changed, since she had heard him. Not drastically, but it seemed less alive, almost tired and emotionless.

It was a deep contrast to the massive energy Kaworu was throwing around with such deadly, yet reckless accuracy.

Yoruichi quickly tried to flash behind him, only to feel him already behind _her_, launching a swift punch.

She just barely managed to catch it with both hands inches away from her face, that much action taking so much effort and speed that he simply swatted her off him like a child and gave her hard boot to the stomach.

Grunting and spitting blood angrily, she leapt above him and sent a swift roundhouse kick zooming to his head.

Kaworu quickly brought up his spear, blocking her foot with its powerful length and then using it to push her entire body back.

She just barely managed to parry Inazuma with Hachimitsu's blade, grunting as she pressed her back once more and swung one end of the long spear against her foot.

Yoruichi jerked her right foot backwards just as the spear's other end smashed a hole into the ground, however she wasn't prepared for the uppercut that slammed into her chin.

Each thrust of his spear broke the ground beneath them apart into long trenches, and every punch seemed to shake the air itself.

She found she could barely breathe as his spiritual presence grew higher and higher, and now she was frantically dodging another one of his punches.

She countered with a long sweeping kick that he gracefully ducked under, and a slash of her Hachimitsu which he simply flash stepped away from.

_It's like child's play to him…the bastard…My Okami…what has gotten into you?! I can't hope to defeat him now…I can only hope to stop him momentarily and then retreat with Ichigo…maybe if Kisuke were hear we could come up with something…but at this rate…_

Yoruichi gasped. The Kaworu that had just dodged another one of her swift slashes suddenly appeared right behind her.

He smirked.

"Destructive Art: 96, Lighting Flock, Decimate!".

She gasped, turning around as he spoke that spell, watching as small bolts of lightning pulsed and gathered around Kaworu's right fist until it looked like almost blinding blade of electricity that he quickly swung straight at her chest.

She barely managed to dodge, feeling the electricity searing through her right hip as he cut her just a bit.

Flash stepping away with a grunt; she noted the slash he had landed despite her speedy dodge, noticing that there was no blood.

_It must be so powerful and quick that it seals up the blood vessels almost instantaneously after it cuts them open!_

Yoruichi had no time to contemplate this further however, as Kaworu was speedily in front of her again, sending a flurry of punches that seemed as fast as lightning itself.

She groaned, managing to dodge a few of them and grab his right arm in an elbow lock, only to feel him swing her around and slam his left knee into her back and then slam her hard into the ground as if she were his mere plaything.

The Goddess of Flash was in big trouble; that much was for sure.

She grit her teeth as the silken flapping threads of Hachimitsu burst out from the blade's beautiful hilt as she fell.

_Hachimitsu…save me…I have no one else to depend on…Kisuke is nowhere to be seen…and the one I loved seeks to kill me. Rightfully so._

* * *

Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi let out a joyous laugh dripping with vile glee as the voice of the member of his 12th Squad he had sent to spy on the battle between Yoruichi and Kaworu crackled through the small communicator the squad member had been provided with. 

He leaned in, listening quietly to the small voice whispering through the speaker next to his queer ringed protruding objects where his ears would be, his skull-like visage giving a quick grin that seemed very maniacal.

"Ahahhahaha! Yes! Yes! So that's what it is!"

He bent over like a hunchback, leaning in and typing furiously on the keyboard in front of him, while gazing at a screen full of information and calculations.

"Ah…so that explains it then…the purpose of this stranger…and his goals…It is quite obvious who he truly wishes to kill…How amusing! And his zanpakutō is one of the three…If Hitsu-"

Suddenly a stern voice behind him.

"If I what? It sounds like you have a lot of answers, Captain Kurotsuchi…A lot of answers that the rest of us except General Yamamoto don't seem to have."

Mayuri gave a grin and spoke in his coarse voice as he faced the small but fierce-looking face of Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya.

"Perhaps I do, Captain Hitsugaya…"

"And would you care to enlighten me on what you've found?"

Mayuri slowly grinned.

"I figured you were the type to always follow orders, Captain Hitsugaya. Why not listen to Captain Yamamoto-Genryūsai and keep your nose out of it? These are rather…sensitive matters."

Hitsugaya seemed quite angered, but was obviously trying to hold onto his temper, speaking in a calm and collected tone.

"Because people are dying out there and I want to know _why_. Captain Soifon just departed towards the battle as well, whatever it is. She could very well be injured, like Captain Kuchiki, like that Rukia. We're under orders to avoid this, to ignore it as if it wasn't happening…I want to know why, and what's going on!"

Mayuri paused, studying Hitsugaya's face and speaking in a slow and secretive tone.

"You want to know…what's going on?"

"Yes!"

"Well, I can tell you this…Captain Yamamoto had a son…His name was Kaworu."

"Kaworu? Are you telling me that what's going on is because of that? What happened to his son?!"

Mayuri suddenly glanced away from Hitsugaya's face and seemed to stare out into nothingness for a good while, as if contemplating something.

Then he spoke in a rather disconnected and hollow voice.

"Oh, it was a wonder to experiment on all those Quincy…I imagine if Kaworu knew of me, he'd want to kill me just as he wants to kill my predecessor…"

"So…this has to do with the Quincy Wars?!"

"Oh, a lot more than that, Captain Hitsugaya…a lot more…it has to do with the fate of Soul Society as a whole."

"Then why is it being withheld from us? Tell me what the meaning of this all is, Captain Kurotsuchi!"

"Well…my research…"

"Is it in your records then? This information you just received?"

"Oh, yes, of course…but I can't just have _anyone _be privy to it…"

Hitsugaya let a slow sigh as he remembered how difficult and secretive Mayuri could be with his research and data. Often not even giving it to other Shinigami divisions that could make use of it.

"This is important, Mayuri…"

Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi smirked slowly.

"Well, obviously I can show this information to you once you get written clearance."

"That could take months! Stop playing around like this, Mayuri! Your comrades are dying getting hurt and killed at this very moment!"

Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi paused, giving a fake pouting frown which seemed bizarre on his skull-like countenance.

"Oh, you wound me, Hitsugaya! Inside my chest my little bitty heart might've felt something about that, but some modifications a while ago took care of that annoying organ. Tell me, why should I reveal anything to you without some…gratitude?"

"Gratitude? Stop playing games…what do you want from me?! What do you want in return then?"

"Let me…run some experiments on you, Tōshirō Hitsugaya…"

Mayuri rose, eyeing the short captain carefully as Hitsugaya's own eyes widened.

"Experiment on me?! Out of the ques-"

"Don't you want to know the truth of it as well, Tōshirō? You are aware you are the inheritor of the style of the Dragon Hyōrinmaru…one of Three Dragons?"

"Of course I am!"

"Then…what if I told you the Third Dragon has arrived. The Dragon of Fierce Lightning Death, _Inazuma_."

Hitsugaya's eyes widened and he took a step back in shock while Mayuri gave him a satisfied smile.

_But…then who is the third? The records said he or she was DEAD…and what does that have to do with…Yamamoto's…son…his son?! So that means…_

Suddenly he glanced down, and noticed that once again, his sword was trembling at his hip.

_Hyōrinmaru?! Do you quake at the return of your brethren? Is it in…anticipation…anger…or is it…fear?_

He looked up to see Mayuri giving him a grim smile.

"So then…shall we begin the tests?"

* * *

Yoruichi gasped for air as Hachimitsu's silken strands slammed into the ground before she could hit it, propelling her back up as they gripped the ground like the many legs of a centipede below her. 

The flying strands them hurtled up as she herself flew up, slashing wildly at Kaworu.

He grunted, for a moment seemingly put back by her wild attacks, but managed to block all of them almost effortlessly in a flurry of movement to quick to see.

However, he had not apparently paid any attention to the silken strands she had sent hurtling up, connected to Hachimitsu.

Yoruichi gave herself a millisecond to smirk as they wrapped around both of Kaworu's arms and pressed his arms to his sides as they wrapped around his torso.

_Gotcha!_

Her eyes widened just as quickly as he let out a roar of power and simply _ripped_ straight through all of Hachimitsu's strands containing him, the shreds of silken fabric fluttering to the ground like so many butterfly wings glinting in the sun.

Yoruichi had barely any time to react in her surprise, Kaworu's fist hurtling towards her face.

However, in her stead, Hachimitsu was quick to react. In its fully released form, her zanpakutō formed an almost instant sphere of defense around Yoruichi, even when she didn't order it to.

Any attacks that came too close would be quickly met with a meshed web of Hachimitsu's silk threads that were strong enough and quick enough to stop the fiercest punch or sword slash.

So Yoruichi was double surprised as Kaworu's fist slammed a hole directly into the silken shield that had appeared before her and then painfully continued into her face.

Yoruichi let out a pained grunt as the hard fist collided terribly into her pretty face, the force of it sending her flying head over heels right into the waiting and damaged ground below.  
A massive explosion of dust and rubble shook the entire area as Kaworu calmly watched from above.

Slowly it cleared, to reveal Yoruichi's gravely injured form. While she hadn't taken any major slashes this battle, she was still very beat up and it was clear that her energy was slowly going down minute after minute.

Yoruichi Shihouin groaned, trying to maintain consciousness as she stared up at the massive broiling center of the overwhelming spiritual presence all around her.

_His…spirit…his power…it's…still rising?!_

She blinked once, the sweat and blood dripping into her eyes as she touched her forehead and felt a nasty gash there.

Yoruichi looked back up to notice that the sky was totally empty and heard a familiar grim and emotionless voice behind her.

"Destructive Art: 96, Lighting Flock, Decimate!".

She glanced back just in time to see Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai hurling his energy-filled, crackling right fist directly at her back.

_It's…over…_

Yoruichi felt warm arms wrap around her body and felt like crying.

_Am I dead already?_

Those arms however, were real, and just barely managed to carry Yoruichi away from the fierce kido that would've surely slammed directly into her torso and left a basketball-sized hole there.

Yoruichi was slumped rather unceremoniously on the ground and found her eyes so pained that she could barely keep them open to glance up at who or what had delivered her from instant death.

_So…heavy…so…tired._

She could barely make out a lithe, familiar feminine form standing over her grimly, speaking in a confident tone.

"I don't know what's going on, Yoruichi sempai…but…stay down…I'll handle this from here on out."

Yoruichi felt like screaming for the figure to run away, but found herself unable to she slumped into unconsciousness.

_Soi…fon…run…run…run…run…you'll die…he'll…you…Kaworu…you…goddamn…beautiful…son of a bitch…_

* * *

**Unknown**

"_Can I dream alone?"_

"_That would not be a dream. It would just be a projection of reality."_

"_Then... where is my dream?"_

"_That is the extension of reality."_

"_My... where is my reality?"_

"_That is at the end of the dream."_

_Ichigo Kurosaki woke up with a start, sweat dripping off his brow, to find himself laying in the infirmary, his entire body aching._

_"Where am I? Yoruichi? Did Kaworu…am I injured? Did he die? Where's Rukia?!"_

_Ichigo paused to stare up at the ceiling, muttering under his breath._

_"Unfamiliar ceiling…"_

_He turned to see a familiar Shinigami girl standing to the side of his bed, her soft eyes flashing with unreadable emotions._

_"Where am I, Rukia?"_

_"Fighting Byakuya? No, I'm not there..."_

_Rukia stood beside Kurosaki's bed, startling him with her voice, a voice he had grown to love and at times abhor._

_"If you don't try to further yourself and challenge yourself, you will never grow in strength, Ichigo…Sometimes that means sacrificing your beliefs…or even your soul…to gain the strength to defend your friends against certain death. "_

_Orihime appeared at the foot of the bed, still as she had been when he had last seen her, her soft voice piercing into Ichigo's very essence._

_"Please…Ichigo…you cannot let them kill us…they'll take me…they'll take Rukia…they'll take us all…You have to find a new path to protect us…You couldn't even beat Kaworu…What makes you think you can…beat…"_

_A new commanding voice rose over the others, Ichigo craned his head to see a tall man with a cold stare and glistening eyes._

_"Aizen..."_

_"Human, you have no strength in your current form…You are nothing but a plague, a weakness among your companions! I overestimated you, drifter…You are too fickle and stubborn, unwilling to consider other paths to strength if they could protect your friends from harm."_

_Rukia nodded slowly._

_"It was my brother's stiff stubbornness that caused his defeat, his rigidity, his refusal to change. You remember…"_

_Beside him was a woman with soft hair that resembled the glamorous painting his father had in their house. Ichigo Kurosaki knew very well who she was._

_"Mother..."_

_"Ichigo…As long as the Sun, the Moon and the Earth exist, everything will be all right. You must gain the strength to defend your friends and loved ones, even if that means taking the path that you fear…"_

_Then there was a flash of light, and Kurosaki let out a shriek, clutching his head._

_"I'LL PROTECT YOU ALL EVEN IF IT MEANS GIVING UP MY GODDAMN SOUL!"_

Over and over and over and over.

This scene had been replayed and replayed inside Ichigo Kurosaki like some annoying rerun, and he had had enough.

He could feel that there was fighting still going on outside the void of his mind, that outside his friends could be in danger.

Ichigo grit his teeth.

"I want to have the power to save them! I'm tired of this, Zangetsu!"

Suddenly, footsteps behind him, and a soft female voice.

"So be it, Ichigo Kurosaki."

He turned to see a young woman with tan skin and tawny blonde hair in strange clothing standing before him. She had odd white clothes, part of which resembled a jacket with long sleeves that bared her middrift and revealed a good amount of her ample bosoms.

Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes opened wide as he noticed then that she had his Hollow form grasped by the neck. This pale white strange-looking opposite of Ichigo let out a terrible screech as the young woman stabbed her own blade into this Hollow Ichigo's neck.

Black blood poured onto the ground out of "Hichigo's" throat and Ichigo stumbled backwards in surprise and confusion as the black blood began to flow up his legs and up his body.

Ichigo flailed wildly but was unable to throw it off as it seeped up his chest and then into his nose and mouth even as he tried to keep his mouth clamped shut.

He felt like screaming, though he knew not if it was because of the power surging inside him or the revulsion inside himself.

Ichigo felt almost violated, enraged. He only knew one way to release all of these emotions.

_I'll…kill him! KAWORU!_

* * *

**Soul Society **

**Seireitei**

Orihime Inoue and Uryū Ishida had been moving for what seemed like ages through the winding corridors of Seiretei, trying to track the exclusive spiritual presences they had felt.

Sweat beaded on Ishida's brow and he shook his head.

"I can't…really feel them that well…Maybe since I lost my powers."

Orihime gave him a kind smile and nodded quickly.

"I can't feel Kurosaki-san much anymore…but I think I feel Yoruichi…she's over that way!"

"Then let's go…thank you, Inoue."

"Your welcome, Ishi-"

Suddenly she was interrupted by a shrieking little girl's voice that seemed quite familiar.

"Hey! Boobies and Glasses!"

Kenpachi halted in front of them with Yachiru balanced on his shoulders.

Kenpachi looked down at Orihime, smirking.

"You? Then are you two looking for Ichigo as well? Lead us to him! We've been searching for ages!"

Ishida noted they had come _from _the direction Orihime had just pointed out and were heading towards the direction Ishida and Orihime had _come_ from.

His forehead wrinkled and he eyed the little girl on Kenpachi's large shoulders.

"You two are going the wrong way…"

"Oh yeah, and what do you know, Four Eyes?!"

Yachiru leant over and began to pound on Ishida's head.

Ishida sighed, trying to adjust his glasses as Orihime smile and laughed.

_This could…take a while…_

Suddenly, a massive crash and Chad burst through the wall next to them, carrying Hanatarō Yamada on his shoulders.

Chad was now covered in rubble and dust but didn't seem worst for wear, glancing stoically at Orihime and Ishida.

Yamada seemed quite pale and about to lose his lunch.

Ishida raised an eyebrow.

"Chad?"

"Ishida…I picked up this guy along the way when I felt Ichigo's spiritual presence…he says he knows Ichigo and helped him out before and that he can feel his presence too…it's gone down!"

"Well yeah…I can feel it too…you don't need to be a rocket scientist to feel these massive spiritual presences."

He glanced back at Kenpachi nervously, making sure the large man hadn't been insulted.

The Captain seemed oblivious to the talk, scratching his nose while Yachiru frolicked on his broad shoulders.

Ishida glanced back at the smaller fellow on Chad's shoulders, noting his paleness and sickly features.

"You alright there, Shinigami?"

The young Shinigami shook his head and gulped silently, then motioned for Ishida to come closer.

Leaning forward towards the little fellow, Ishida heard him whisper into his ears.

"That…was…the…twentieth…wall…we've burst through…this guy…doesn't get the…concept of…using doors…"

Ishida glanced at Chad, who seemed just as oblivious as Kenpachi.

"Something wrong, Ishida?"

"Oh…nothing."

Kenpachi grunted dismissively, glancing around in impatience.

"Right, is the friendly reunion over?! I want to find this bastard with the high spirit! And I want to kill him, even if it's that Ichigo fellow!"

Orihime frowned as Ishida grabbed her delicate hand and nodded, the pair quickly sprinting down the path winding through buildings.

Kenpachi watched them dart away and then turned to Chad and the Shinigami on his shoulders.

"You, big fellow, you know where they are too? I don't think Yachiru has any idea…"

"Hey! Kenny!"

"Well, we've been running about for hours, dammit!"

Chad only nodded slowly, speaking his deep but quiet voice.

"Yes. I know where they are."

"Then lead the way!"

Yamada groaned as Chad crouched down and prepared to run.

"Gah! Can't you just go around like those two?! They seemed smart, that glasses guy seemed to be using his head for a change, and he seemed intelligent…"

Chad shook his head, apologizing as he burst through the wall in front of them in an explosion of rubble and sprinted on.

"Sorry, but this way is faster…Ichigo might be in trouble."

Kenpachi grinned as he burst through the exact same wall with Yachiru bouncing and giggling on his shoulders and then quickly paced alongside Chad.

"I like this guy, he uses his _head_!"

* * *

Captain Sajin Komamura sighed, moving his massive bulk through the corridors of Soul Society as he contemplated the matters plaguing his mind. 

_What did Captain Hitsugaya say? That he intended to find out the truth behind all of this? And Captain Soifon…am I truly a fool to be so complacent? I owe my life and worth to General Yamamoto...but what if he really is hiding something._

Komamura glanced off in the distance, trying not to dwell on Tōsen and the truth behind this all.

_Kaname…he leaned too much on his sense of duty and justice, until it became skewed and corrupted…and part of the problem behind Aizen managing to betray us so easily was that we were too grounded on issues of duty and the rules that we couldn't see the obvious foolishness around us and in the execution of that Kuchiki girl…_

He paused, slowly using the strange but effective brush Lieutenant Hisagi had brought him to brush through his sweaty and matted down fur.

_Perhaps there is a balance, a sane resolution between the mad justice of Kaname, the inflexible law of General Yamamoto, and the wild untamed and uncaring foolishness of that Kenpachi! I must find it, before I am ready to face my demons and tame the demons that plague Tōsen._

Komamura clenched his massive gloved paws.

"I will not be ready until then…until I have the strength."

Suddenly a voice behind him, interrupting his self-avowed vow briefly.

"Captain Komamura?"

The massive fox-like Captain turned around to face his Lieutenant, Tetsuzaemon Iba.

He had his distinctive hair cut and sunglasses as always, much like a Yakuza. Rather strange indeed.

The man was reliable and strong, but at times a bit odd and lazy.

_Maybe that combination isn't as bad as I once thought…there must be balance in every man._

"What is it, Lieutenant Iba?"

"We've…found something…I think it may have to do with the recent events in Soul Society…with the battle that is supposedly going on."

Komamura stiffened.

_So…do I cower in the face of possible truth and follow my orders…or do I move on and see if I can help my comrades by discovering the truth behind all of this madness…_

Captain Komamura only silently hesitated for a minute before he responded, but it was a minute that seemed like a glaring hour for Lieutenant Iba. Komamura had never seemed so introspective.

"Lead the way, Lieutenant."

"Yes, Captain."

* * *

Lieutenant Renji Abarai stared on in awe as Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai's body as the old man spit out blood and tried to stand over the slippery blood spilling under his body from the stab Kisuke had dealt. 

Finally, Gendo stood, his eyes staring fiercely at Kisuke Urahara despite the wound that seemed obviously severe.

Kisuke Urahara's wounds were obviously severe as well however, though Renji would never guess he had received them from the queer bankai of Tokikaze that he and the other Lieutenants had not glimpsed while Urahara was trapped in that terrible area of darkness.

Frankly, both of the former Captains of 12th Division seemed near death, yet neither Renji or the terribly injured Kira (and certainly not the yet unconscious Isane) seemed ready to interrupt the battle.

The emotions and spiritual powers connected in this terrible fight to the death just seemed too intense for them to leap into.

Gendo gazed fiercely at Urahara and growled.

"How?! How did you survive those who you killed? How did you survive Tokikaze's abilities?"

Urahara gave him a grim, hateful smile.

"I simply…surrendered to the specters of my past and let them take out their vengeance on me…"

"And yet you live?!"

"And yet I live…it seems they were unwilling to deal the fatal blow…though it's quite obvious that if either of us stay still for much longer like this, we'll just bleed out and die."

"So?"

"So…"

Gendo grunted, just barely able to raise his katana and point it at Urahara.

"So we make one final rush at each other…Let our blades decide the true victor!"

Urahara smirked, shaking his tired head.

"No…rather I think not...If I retreat, I think it likely a comrade from 4th Division can help me…And I think it likely Renji…Renji!"

Renji appeared at his side, Urahara's arm around Renji's shoulder while Kira seemed just barely able to support Isane on his own shoulders.

"As I was saying…I think it likely Renji can take me somewhere to get my wounds fixed…Yet you will simply bleed out and die, as it has been centuries since anyone in this place knew you or would help you…You no longer have any solace in this world, old man, so I think it more likely any Shinigami you encounter will stab you, not heal you."

Gendo's eyes widened and he let out a pained grunt that seemed mixed with tired anger.

Kisuke gave him a tired but wide grin.

"Therefore…I must bid you adieu…it is far easier to simply retreat and let you bleed out than be forced to make some final clash of blades which I may, frankly, lose. Ta ta, former Captain Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai…and rest in peace!"

The instant 'peace' left Kisuke's mouth, Kira and Renji quickly sped away with Kisuke and Isane on their shoulders, leaving nothing but a wake of dust in front of Gendo.

The old man grunted, feeling his slippery blood making his hold on his katana rather difficult as he pressed it against the ground like a walking stick and used one hand to gently hold the bloody wound in his chest.

Gendo stared up with blurry, tired eyes that threatened to close, staring at the white towers and massive buildings in the center of Seireitei with a grimace.

"I…cannot die…brother…I will not die…Not until you…give me…penance."

His now bloodied hand reached out from pressing his wound and grasped the buildings in the horizon.

The hand clenched into a shaky fist as it grasped at those white towers, as if Gendo had crushed them into his palms.

"Not until…I revenge…my own history…Tokikaze…Unlike Urahara…I refuse to surrender to the specters of my past…just yet…"

There was only a dull thump as the old man toppled over and lay silent against the building's roof.

No one noticed, no one paid any mind.

Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai lay silent, unmoving, and alone on the building's roof, his blood pooling under him.

_Feels…just like home…_

* * *

Captain Komamura's eyes widened as he stood before the 'things' that his Lieutenant Iba had found and wanted to show him. 

He glanced closely at them, noticing that they were massive humanoid-shaped holes in the wall. As if someone had crashed straight through the wall and continued on, wall after wall. It was almost cartoonish!

"So…you found these, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, Captain Komamura?"

"And you think they might have something to do with the explosions recently and the battle that is supposedly going on?"

"Yes sir…"

"If only we could find out…who caused this…"

Suddenly Komamura's eyes widened and he let out an angry gasp.

Lieutenant Iba moved in closer, curious.

"What is it, Captain?"

Komamura groaned, pointing at one of the holes in the wall. The outline was massive, and seemed to have…spikes on his or her head.

"Dammit! That's Kenpachi! That idiot! That's his hair!"

"Err…Captain Kenpachi?"

"Yes…yes…"

Lieutenant Iba sighed in what could be called relief.

"Guess it really didn't have anything to do with the intruder…"

Captain Komamura nodded, and then let out a slow and awkward laugh.

"Captain? Is something the matter?"

Captain Komamura had certainly been acting strange for the last day or two.

"Oh…nothing…it's just that Kenpachi…he certainly gets on my nerves…"

"Yes…I heard what happened in the battle with Captain Tōsen…"

"Indeed…but I have moved past that…I understand that Zaraki's actions now, even if they were wild and brutish."

A voice behind them, whose owner sounded like he was smiling or at least in a casually pleasant mood.

"That's good to hear, Captain Komamura. I'm glad you're feeling well."

Komamura turned to see Captain Shūhei Hisagi.

The man seemed in good spirits in his new Captain's robes, which actually looked nice with the choker on his neck and the tattoos all over his body.

Yes, he had forgotten to mention that to himself before, Hisagi had been promoted to fill in the empty spot of Kaname Tōsen as Captain of Ninth Division. The ceremonies had been recent, though Komamura had been unable to attend, still recovering from his injuries.

Hisagi indeed seemed quite capable, though his Lieutenant hadn't been decided on just yet.

"Congratulations on the promotion, Captain Hisagi."

"Yes, thank you, Captain Komamura…but I didn't come just for festivities and greetings…there's something the matter…it has to do with the recent events…"

"Yes?"

"Well…more like…someone wants to see you…two someones to be exact…Follow me…"

Captain Komamura nodded, gesturing for his Lieutenant Iba to follow them as well.

_So…this is my true moment of decision…I will always respect you, Captain Yamamoto…but…I must discover the truth behind this…and if it has anything to with Kaname…_

* * *

Captain Soi Fon faced down the strange man who had been fighting Yoruichi with a fierce intensity, trying to ignore the obvious danger and massive spiritual presence emanating from him. 

_Who the hell is he?! It has to have something to do with Captain Yamamoto's orders earlier at the Captain's Meeting…but why would he want to hide this from us and tell us not to interfere or do anything about it!? Yoruichi could've DIED! What the hell is wrong with Soul Society now, and what is he hiding?!_

"You there, who are-"

"The time for questions is over. I have places to go, business to intend to, and the wounds on my body still bleed. I no longer have time to waste playing with my father's underlings."

_His…father's what?! Can it be?_

Kaworu suddenly appeared crouched in front her and slammed a terrible punch into her stomach that made the saliva and blood float out of her skewed mouth.

She bounced off the ground, gasping for air and just barely managing to leap over another punch and land.

Captain Soifon quickly reached for her zanpakutō, just barely managing to draw the wakizashi known as Suzumebachi from her back as Kaworu appeared leaping right in front of her face and sent his boot colliding into her head with a terribly debilitating roundhouse kick.

It seemed that indeed playtime was over for Former Captain Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai. He seemed no longer content to taunt or speak during battle, or even to go easy on his opponent.

His eyes remained cold and emotionless, but the spiritual energy continued rising from him, despite the fact that his body was covered in bloody slashes now from the fights with Ichigo and Yoruichi. None of them seemed to be very deep or effective, however, or in a vital area of his body.

Every move and attack seemed driven with an unbelievably powerful strength and speed, as if he seemed intent to end the battle in a matter of two or three moves.

She caught another punch in her right cheek that seemed to send pain spiraling up her spine, but managed to ground herself and spit out her initial release along with an unbelievable amount of blood.

"_Jinteki Shakusetsu, __Suzumebachi!"_

The wakizashi she held became a golden stinger that wrapped around her right fist, and Kaworu seemed to hesitate for a moment, confused by the new events.

She took this as an opening, realizing that she may not have another one again.

Quickly she slammed the stinger into Kaworu's right shoulder, making him grunt and quickly flash step away from her before she could do anymore.

Kaworu glanced down at the wound, his eyebrows rising in confusion as he noticed that while it wasn't severe at all there happened to be an odd butterfly symbol like a hornet's crest had appeared on him where she had stabbed.

She quickly hurtled at him again, growling as she sent a flurry of spinning kicks and punches at him.

Kaworu seemed to be blocking them leisurely, but he let out a surprised gasp and stopped one of her strikes with both hands before it could land.

He noticed then that her stinger had been zooming straight for the same spot on his right shoulder and that his arms were mottled with the same hornet's crests.

Kaworu grunted, pushing her backwards roughly, Soifon gasping in disappointment as she had been about to kill him right then and there.

"How did you-"

"How did I know what?! I may not know your techniques, you bitch, but I damn well know something's going on when you keep trying to hit me in the same spot."

Kaworu's eyes suddenly grew fierce and he gave a sly smirk.

"Well, I guess I just won't let you hit me _at all._ You're too tricky. I'll end this now."

Soifon's eyes widened as Kaworu appeared behind her and stabbed the spear point of Inazuma at her back.

_Shit! He's too fast for me still?!_

She just barely managed to spiral around and leap over the long spear, gasping as she felt it crackling with electric energy.

However she wasn't able to dodge the upturn as Kaworu simply reversed his grip and swung the _other_ end of Inazuma at her.

The blunt endpoint slammed hard into her head like a hammer, sending spots into her vision as she flew backwards.

Soifon spit out another few drops of blood and felt the same warm liquid dripping from her forehead. It wasn't a major wound, but she found herself unable to stand straight for a few seconds.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, she got her balance, taking a deep breath that stung inside her throat.

Soifon realized that she had better release her zanpakutō again before another punch or strike slammed into her, hoping she'd be able to at least keep up with his speed or at least manage to land a hit on a spot she'd previously struck.

"I have no choice then…Bank-"

"I told you! I no longer have time to play around!"

Soifon was unable to finish her phrase, an obvious attempt to make the final release of her zanpakutō. Instead she caught Kaworu's powerful right hook right into her stomach.

He followed this up with another blinding punch to the head and a terribly brutal high kick that connected with her chin.

All these movements were flashes of pain that she could barely detect with her eyes as they landed. It was almost like invisible slamming pain that she could barely detect.

As she hurtled up in the air, Kaworu grabbed her right arm and snapped it like a twig over his shoulder, making Soifon scream in agony as it broke.

"No more playing around…"

She had long slumped into unconsciousness because of the pain, so she didn't make any other screams as he broke her other arm and sent her slamming down in a freefall spiral onto the ground.  
Captain Soifon slammed into it with an explosion of dust and then didn't move again, her spiritual presence frightfully low.

Kaworu smirked as the hornet's crests seemingly tattooed all over his body now began to disappear.

"Too bad Yoruichi…neither you nor father's underlings could halt my path. That's the end of that. Now, onto-"

His brow then furrowed, and he sighed in haughty exasperation as he felt a blade point about to plunge into his back.

It was definitely the point of a sword, though he knew not whose, but he was indeed so fast that the moment he felt it about to enter his skin he simply spun around and caught it in both hands.

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai's eyes widened with imperceptible horror and surprise as he noticed the sword he had caught and its owner.

The sword was black and sleek…Zangetsu…

And the young man with tattered clothes and wounds all over his body…there was no mistaking him.

Ichigo Kurosaki was not down for the count.

His spiritual presence was back, apparently, and while it could not equal Kaworu's at all, it had actually risen from the last time Kaworu had fought him.

And there was another change that rather startled Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai.

Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes were _yellow._

But otherwise he seemed completely physically unchanged.

"What?! I thought I _killed_ you?!"

Ichigo gave Kaworu a fierce look and yanked Zangetsu's sleek black blade out of Kaworu's hands and then swung it with blinding speed at Kaworu's neck.

"Let me show you a little something about _killing._"

* * *

Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter…

It seems my chapters are getting longer and longer.

I was wondering, is that a problem with you guys?

Would you like these chapters a bit shorter or separated partitioned out into smaller chapters? Or are they just the right size to read and enjoy? 

I mean WOW, I've never written a Fanfic chapter in any fanfic as big as this one…

Oh, and for those worrying about a clichéd "ICHIGO SAVES THE DAY" ending, don't worry…This arc isn't over just yet.

There's a LOT still in store, a lot still going on in the background of Hueco Mundo and Soul Society that I haven't revealed.

Hope you guys stay along for the ride.

See ya next chapter.


	12. Igni Ferroque

Well, here we are again, I hope this story isn't too dumb so far, hope you've been enjoying it without much annoyance…

I still don't get many readers when it comes to each new chapter, but it's all good, the few that are supporting me really help, I welcome all your reviews and reading eyes…

Hopefully I'm not making my chapters too long?

And hopefully I'm not taking too long to update…

Do enjoy the story and this Kaworu Arc, as we're entering the midway point of the Arc and a turning point in the story.

I already have like the next twenty chapters planned out, at least vaguely inside my head. 

Hope you're enjoying it, thank you all for reading and reviewing, I really get a great boost whenever I get reviews, so don't stop. It tells me that there are people reading my fanfic, which urges me to continue writing.

Feel free to add questions or anything in your reviews too, I always try to answer and read.

Let's get this started!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc.. Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

**Soul Society **

**Seireitei**

Kaworu just barely ducked under Ichigo's wild swipes, his eyes widening with what could be concern.

_The boy isn't close to strong enough…yet…but he's stronger than before, and last time I checked I nearly sliced him in two!_

He flash stepped away just in time to dodge a wild horizontal swing, bringing up his spear to thrust powerfully at Ichigo's face.

Kaworu was more than a bit satisfied by the obvious strain this new berserk Ichigo was having blocking the spear and holding his ground and he found that without much trouble he could simply throw Ichigo back with a slam of his spear.

_He's stronger…faster…but it's not enough, not with me at this level…_

The wounds he had previously dealt Ichigo seemed to have mysteriously healed, and Ichigo's battle fervor had certainly increased…but it would not be enough.

Kaworu scoffed as Zangetsu locked with his Inazuma, and then simply executed a familiar combo he had dealt to a previous female in this battleground. Soifon.

Kaworu quickly dropped Inazuma, letting Ichigo fall forward into the powerful right hook waiting for his stomach.

He followed this up with a blinding punch to the head and a terribly brutal high kick that connected with Ichigo's chin.

All these movements were flashes of pain that Ichigo could barely detect with his eyes as they landed. It was almost like invisible slamming pain that he could barely detect.

As Ichigo hurtled up in the air, Kaworu grabbed Kurosaki's right arm and snapped it like a twig over his shoulder, making Ichigo's curse and scream in agony as it broke.

Ichigo's eyes widened, both from the pain and from the fact that he felt Kaworu grabbing both his legs as they fell, throwing him with a rush of air towards the ground.

He slammed into it hard a few seconds before Kaworu gracefully landed, Ichigo's clothes in tatters, his body caked with blood and shaking with agonizing pain.

"You have showed great growth, and for that, I am impressed. You taught me that one can't simply leave an enemy a terribly bloody slash. Obviously it doesn't always work, ask Yoruichi!"

Ichigo grimaced, trying to stand, feeling the strength and at the same time that odd darkness that he had felt with it draining out of him.

"But I suppose this time I'll do you honor and be more thorough. Let me teach you a true level of power before you die…This zanpakutō I wield is not simply some pitiful blade with a name and spirit…It is one of the Three Dragons. Heard of them? I suppose not. They were the Dragon Spirits who fought for the King of Soul Society himself, but are said to have become so powerful that he was forced to seal them away into 'Guardians', Shinigami cursed and blessed with being the inheritors of each dragon's spirit and style."

Kaworu paused, gripping Inazuma tight.

"There were three…Inazuma of the Sky, Ryūjin Jakka of the Earth, and Hyōrinmaru of the Sea…lightning, fire, water…Every generation they are sealed and resealed into a new Guardian. This fated Shinigami is blessed with the power of the Dragon at his disposal, but it is madly difficult to reign and control a power and zanpakutō of such a level. Many Guardians go insane, or take centuries to develop their powers fully. There is one connection between all of them, to survive, the Dragon will slowly leach away the flesh and energy of the host until he or she is dead! And then onto the next Guardian! That is why they are sealed as skillfully as possible into the zanpakutōs…"

Ichigo had been trying to rise during Kaworu's continuing monologue, but found his legs unwilling to move.

"My shikai and bankai only increase the strength and form of my zanpakutō while my own massive spiritual presence rises…however; it is possible to go beyond this, to use the power and spirit of the great Dragon sealed inside the zanpakutō itself! Such spiritual power is so immense and dangerous that barely any Guardian has attempted it, except my father long ago when he first fought the wars to create this place. Any inexperienced fool who would attempt it would be instantly consumed by their Dragon's power and turned into a pile of mangled flesh because of their body's inability to handle such a massive spirit…and even those who learn, like my father, still run great risk. Leach on the power of the Dragon for too long and he will corrode your flesh and slowly burn away your body. It's why any release of the Dragon's seal must be quick and decisive, then ended…if I used this for too long, my fingers would burn away, then my hands, arms, shoulders, legs, torso, chest, neck, head, obviously I'd be dead by the time such a thing occurred…"

Ichigo gasped in agony as he felt the pain in his body, as if all the wounds he had been dealt before that had seemingly been healed by the dark presence inside of him were suddenly back. He tried to use his zanpakutō to raise himself up, but found his body stiff. Slowly he managed to get to his feet, gritting his teeth and trying to focus his weak eyes on Kaworu and ears on Kaworu's words.

"In honor of your futile attempts to defeat me, I will end you quickly with the first release of my Dragon's seal. There are three in total, and each increases my power so drastically that my body could very well burn to ash when faced with the immense spirit of the Dragon possessing and assisting it. So I will make this last only a few seconds. No offense meant, but I don't want to lose a finger or anything."

Ichigo stumbled forward, trying to muster his spiritual power and stay in his bankai form. Slowly he tried to put one foot in front of the other, and then found himself running forward at great speed, sword raised.

"Enough talk you bastard!"

Kaworu stared at him with what seemed to be immense sympathy, sighing and shaking his head. Ichigo was still advancing slowly, which gave Kaworu time to speak.

"Releasing first limit, _Inazuma_…"

He held the great spear Inazuma in his left hand and pressed the tip into his right palm. As if made of air, it sank straight through his palm as if his palm was an endlessly deep pool of water and then simply disappeared.

Kaworu clenched his right fist, his eyes bulging and the veins at his forehead straining with obvious difficulty as his right arm trembled.

Suddenly, the bright golden-white tattoos spelling the phrase "VENGEANCE IS MINE" ("Fukushû Suruwa Wareniari") across both hands that had grown on his knuckles with his bankai started to contort against his skin.

The golden lines began to crisscross and grow, as if the tattoo was somehow sprouting like a vine. They grew up his hand and began to snake and crisscross all around his right arm, these glowing golden lines and symbols searing into his skin as if they were being branded on or tattooed.

It all stopped at his right shoulder, and as the smoke cleared, one could see the intricate and beautiful lines and runes all around his right arm with a new surprising addition.

There seemed to be a glowing wing of electric energy sprouting out of his right shoulder, a single ethereal wing of massive spiritual presence.

Ichigo had stopped in his tracks halfway to Kaworu, and was now gaping at the former Shinigami Captain.

The sheer rise in power had struck Ichigo Kurosaki dumb. It seemed impossible that this already irrationally powerful stranger had even more left in him.

Suddenly, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai simply disappeared.

Ichigo sensed him a second later and turned to see the glowing figure now about fifty feet behind where he had been.

It hadn't even seemed like a flash step. It was as if two Kaworus had existed suddenly.

Ichigo trembled as Kaworu spoke.

"Show him pain, Inazuma…but make it quick."

Ichigo had no time to react as Kaworu swung his glowing right arm in a punch…from thirty feet away? It seemed preposterous.

However a glowing energy swirled around his fist as he punched the air in Ichigo's direction, and Ichigo could swear he saw something forming in the energy and electric air.

It looked like…the face of a great yellow dragon's maw, screaming in an unholy terror at him. It seemed to be made of great jagged lightning bolts, and just as Ichigo saw it formed, he saw it directly in front of him, and then felt it pass through his body, this great raging dragon of maddening electricity.

Ichigo Kurosaki took one stumbling step forward, raised his lolling head to glance at Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai, coughed out a small cloud of smoke, and then simply collapsed.

Kaworu, still fifty feet away, gripped his right arm, his body trembling as the tattoos shrank away from his arm and shoulder, descending back to the initial tattooed kanji letters at his knuckles.

The great spear Inazuma simply descended back out of his right palm in one long slide, as if his arm was vomiting it out. It clattered to the floor and returned to the shikai form of a cross spear and then the unreleased form of a small tanto knife as the cross points and spear handle simply disappeared.

Kaworu reached down with and grasped the small unassuming knife, returning it to the place it had held at his left hip.

He seemed to be panting with great exertion, his body trembling, and his right arm actually smoking but seemingly unharmed and whole.

He looked down at his fist, clenching and unclenching it as if testing if it still worked, sighed once, and then simply flash stepped away.

Seconds later, a pair appeared in the area with panicked looks on their faces…well at least one face was panicked, the other was the stoic but obviously angered face of Captain Byakuya Kuchiki.

The bandages were fresh under his Captain's uniform, and he peered around the area as Lieutenant Renji Abarai stood behind him.

"Just barely…"

"What is it, Captain?"

"We just missed him…"

"Yes, he's fast Captain…"

"Did you take Lieutenants Kotetsu and Kira to the infirmary?"

"Yes, Captain Kuchiki."

"Good…we'll have to call in 4th Division to clear up the rest…of this."

The barren battlefield was littered with inert forms…Ichigo, Yoruichi, and Soifon. It was also scarred with great depressions and long ridges and holes in the ground, as if it had been torn apart by a giant.

Now everything was silent and the dust slowly cleared.

Former Captain Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai was nowhere to be seen, but Byakuya and Renji both knew this was far from over.

Captain Kuchiki stepped forward; studying Yoruichi's pained unconscious form.

"He'll be back…"

"What makes you think so, Captain?"

"He left all of them alive…even that Kurosaki brat…he's been toying with us, whatever he came here for, he must still be striving for it…And…"

"Captain?"

"And…I think Captain Yamamoto-Genryūsai knows what it is…"

"Captain…"

* * *

Kisuke Urahara sighed as he rested in the infirmary bed.

They had patched him up well, but he hoped to leave as quickly as possible. Any report to that old man heading the 1st Division and he might get a bit of trouble.

He was supposedly exiled and banished, after all, having just barely escaped Soul Society long ago with Yoruichi's help…

That…was a story he didn't want to think back on…or repeat.

He had come here because he thought it unavoidable, vital, but he had nearly been killed before even seeing Yoruichi.

Now as he realized he could barely feel her spiritual presence, he hoped she was alright. Even she might have trouble against…

No, he had to focus on the present. First, getting out of this bed, second, finding Yoruichi and having them both take care of this matter themselves.

He had been plotting this in his mind as he lay there, and realized that in the state he was and in the state Yoruichi and Ichigo possibly were, he would need help.

This is why he was hardly surprised when he saw the large looming figure of Captain Sajin Komamura accompanied by Lieutenant Tetsuzaemon Iba and newly appointed Captain Shūhei Hisagi.

Komamura stared at him with hard dispassionate eyes, and suddenly Kisuke wondered why he'd wanted to speak with this fellow out of the many other possible Shinigami. The fox-like Captain was renowned for his slavish devotion to Yamamoto and his stubbornness.

However, as always, Kisuke Urahara had leverage.

He stared up at Komamura and smirked, Komamuru giving him a merciless stare that was tinged with what might be curiosity. Good.

"Before you call an alert or try to slice me apart, let me say…I know the truth behind why this strange man is attacking Soul Society, and why…General Yamamoto-Genryūsai isn't telling you everything…why everyone is being ordered to stand down…"

Komamura huffed, but it was clear he was interested.

"Word games! Why should I believe you?"

Suddenly a sly bemused voice that surprised the entire group including even Kisuke, and Captains Jūshirō Ukitake and Shunsui Kyōraku stepped out of the shadows behind Captain Komamura and Hisagi.

"Because, my dear Captain Komamura, Kisuke Urahara is one of many reasons that fellow Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai is out there on a rampage."

Kisuke gave his former teacher Shunsui a wry but obviously annoyed look, speaking in a slow sardonic voice.

"You flatter me, Shunsui…now that I've apparently got an audience of four chattering Captains, let me continue, as I was saying…"

He was suddenly interrupted by a loud whistling noise and turned to see that Captain Kyōraku was bringing a pot of tea to steam over a makeshift fire as he and Ukitake reclined on small mats they had seemingly materialized out of thin air with a small tray of cookies between them.

Kisuke suddenly remembered why these old coots had annoyed him so much.

"Do go on with your story, Kisuke! We have much to...discuss..."

_This might take a while…_

* * *

Meanwhile, at the other end of Seireitei, two other Captains were plotting and positioning for information on this secretive madness that was possibly related to Chief Captain and General Yamamoto-Genryūsai.

Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya stood in the dark and damp cell that Mayuri had led him into, looking around at the queer flashing contraptions all around the walls.

"What is this? Tell me, Mayuri, what do you plan to do? You speak of testing me, but I want the information I came here for first…"

Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi smirked and turned away, shaking his queer-looking heard.

"Oh, even I don't know EVERYTHING…my records are dismally inaccurate going that far back, obviously my predecessor picked and chose what he put in there…but what I have for you will directly link to both of us getting the information we need…"

"What are you talking about?!"

"I mean, I intend for you to get it directly…why not ask the man of the hour himself, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai?"

"What are you playing at? Ask him? As if he'll simply divulge everything to me?"

Mayuri turned towards him, speaking distractedly as he fiddled with a switch inside the cell Hitsugaya stood in.

"You? Who said anything about you yourself? You're a mere trivial trifle. He'll definitely have to speak when faced with the full might of the Guardian of the Dragon of the Sea, Hyōrinmaru!"

Hitsugaya's eyes widened in utter surprise as Mayuri flipped the switch and let out screaming laughter.

"I want to know everything! Everything! Anything not in my records will be put in forcefully! I want Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai!"

* * *

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai stared down stoically at his uncle Gendo's bleeding form lying there on the dusty ground. He had been moving quickly through Seireitei after retreating from the battlefield, but had halted once he had felt that diminishing but familiar Yamamoto-Genryūsai spiritual presence.

"I told you before uncle…Only those with the strength to stand are allowed to return home. I cannot carry you and bring this place down as well, not now. You tried hard enough, but you fouled up. It's a pity…"

Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai didn't react in surprise at his nephew's words, his body still, and blood was still flowing out as he stared wistfully up at Kaworu.

"I understand…simply…do me three favors…for an old man who has to carry the weight of his past into death…the bitterness…everything…"

Kaworu stared down at Gendo with eyes that could have been depicted as sorrowful; however they were more a sad pride that seemed to hide emotions that may have been broiling beneath.

"Yes?"

"First…bring this land down to dust…give your father and his minions the penance they deserve…second…burn my body into ash with that Inazuma of yours, leave barely any trace…my soul bares bitterness, and I wish to be erased from existence, I do not want to become some terribly miserable Hollow bent on vengeance or wander the halls of eternity with this terrible wound of pained memory on my shoulders…thirdly and finally…"

"Yes?"

"Wait…are you not curious who dealt me such a wound?"

Kaworu glanced away at his old dying uncle's probing eyes, as if he wished to hide something or didn't want to say something in response.

"Ah…so you already have an inkling who did it to me, is that it? I can see sadness in your eyes, despite the brutality of your strength and the crimes done unto you…I can feel from the spirits in that battlefield far away that you _killed no one_! Tell me boy, even now you feel a flinching mercy and emotion for that bastard Urahara and that wench Shihoun, is that so?"

Kaworu's fists trembled as they clenched and unclenched, and he looked down at his uncle silently.

"I thought so…how can you hope to avenge the pains of time and memory that we have had to bear because of Soul Society and your father if you still bear the weakness of compassion? You brutalized them, I know it, but you cannot leave such terrible beasts of history alive! I see it true…"

His uncle paused, reaching out with old trembling hands to grasp his zanpakutō Tokikaze.

"I feel it, Tokikaze does too…your memories and pain, you are sensitized and weakened by them…inside of you a small tiny piece of Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai still loves Seireitei and the Shinigami, or at least does not wish them total destruction…This is where my third favor lies…Give up this foolish compassion and 'humanity', Kaworu my nephew…you must have the will to burn them and their stone buildings into nothingness!"

Kaworu's eyes widened but he didn't even move as Gendo lifted his zanpakutō and thrust Tokikaze through Kaworu's chest right where his heart would be.

However the blade seemed suddenly ethereal as it pierced, not drawing any blood or even cutting Kaworu's flesh. Instead, it simply passed through his chest and out the other end like a ghost.

"Show him the foul joy of forgetfulness, Tokikaze…"

Kaworu's eyes widened and he fell to his knees beside his uncle as his uncle retracted his zanpakutō from Kaworu's chest and dropped it with weakening hands.

"Do it…end me…Kaworu…I have used Tokikaze to seal away those emotions restricting your will as best as I could…now end me!"

Kaworu's hands seemed to pulse with electric spiritual power and he held them over his uncle's dying body, still on his knees as tears began to run down his face.

"No more pausing, boy! You told me yourself, 'Only those with the strength to stand are allowed to return home'! NOW END ME!"

Kaworu let out a roar of what could be termed both animalistic rage and resigned sorrow, a massive burst of light and spiritual presence shaking the area all around.

It was done.

Kaworu turned away from his deed and what had formerly been Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai…just in time to hear footsteps clattering behind him…a single person approaching.

"I'm here to take care of what Yoruichi Shihoun failed at doing. Your father's orders are clear, you will die, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai."

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai turned slowly to stare at Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe's face, and Sasakibe suddenly felt a tinge of utter fear that he tried to suppress.

He vaguely remembered the son of Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai, having seen him before the entire ordeal of his punishment and "death".  
Kaworu had been strong and arrogant, but most of all he had always held a compassionate and almost loving look in his eyes when looking at you. A smile that one couldn't help but mimic.

Now, his eyes seemed dead, cold, shallow, there was nothing reflected in them but… Chōjirō Sasakibe's own death!

Kaworu paused, looking Chōjirō up and down like he was a piece of beef hanging from a freezer ceiling…and maybe he might as well have been.

"Well, you came to the right place."

Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe barely had time to scream as the lightning-yellow lines and rune-like symbols and kanji carved and tattooed up Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai's right arm and that glowing ethereal yellow wing of electricity seemed to hover out of Kaworu's right shoulder.

"Releasing first limit, _Inazuma_…"

"Ugate, _Gonryōma-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUHHHHH_!"

* * *

The dust cleared over Soul Society, however all of Seireitei was still charged with rumors and an electric sense of dread and alertness.

The intruder, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai had not been found, and it was the popular speculation that he remained even now, two weeks later, hiding his spiritual presence and himself somewhere in the many barracks and buildings of Seireitei.

Slowly Seireitei collected its wounded and tried to remain ready for disaster at any second, despite the fact that the leader of the Shinigami himself, the one they were supposed to look for to guidance, Captain Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai had still ordered all Shinigami Divisions and Captains to stand down.

Many grew disgruntled by the Chief Captain's apparent attempts to suppress all of these events even with the many who had been wounded, however his word was absolute to most of the Shinigami.

They had found Ichigo Kurosaki in a stupor, unharmed and unchanged, but unconscious. He had been put in the same infirmary with Rukia, where his despondent friends hovered around and tried to figure out what to do.

They never found Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe…only a smile pile of ashes that were collected into a small dustpan and presented to an ever stoic but exceedingly irritated Captain Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai.

Same with the supposed other intruder, Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai. All that had been left was a similar pile of scorched earth and dusty ashes.

All the wounded had been transferred to infirmaries, and so far they seemed to be coping…however Kisuke Urahara had disappeared from the infirmary Captain Unohana swore she had seen him and treated him.

Gingerly reeling from the pain of Aizen's betrayal not so long ago and this new wound, Seireitei slowly went to sleep as another new night descended.

* * *

"Good night…I…I'm going to walk for a while."

Ishida had left broodingly from the small hut-like structure Rukia and Ichigo had both been moved to, supposedly for their own protection against the menace that could still be in Soul Society.

He seemed to be brooding on something, and both Chad and Orihime noted he seemed preoccupied with reading some random piece of paper in his hands.

They didn't try to engage him however, Chad giving a brooding look to Orihime that seemed obviously full of worry and strength regarding Ichigo and bid her good night.

Orihime sighed, making her way down the street.

_First Rukia and then Ichigo…and I heard even Yoruichi is in trouble…I'm so useless here, just standing and moping around, not even able to fight for real at Ichigo's side…_

The thoughts in her mind preoccupied her, and before she realized it she noticed Ishida's retreating back in the distance. Without realizing it, she had been following him down that same narrow Soul Society street in the misty night.

She noticed suddenly that he had actually stopped, though Orihime didn't know when exactly.

Suddenly, he ducked into an alleyway to the left, out of Orihime's line of view.

_He didn't see me, did he? No…but what's wrong with Ishida…he's thinking about something…or is he just in pain over Ichigo like this? He tries to be stiff, but I know Ishida really cares about us…If anything, I'll try not to be useless and at least cheer my friends up!_

Resolved at this point, Orihime put on a cheerful smile, thought if one concentrated they could clearly see the sadness in her big expressive eyes.

She made her way down the street and turned into the alleyway.

A single figure stood inside it, tall and dark, though she instantly realized it was not Ishida. In fact, despite the sheer wall at the dead end of the alleyway, Ishida was nowhere to be seen.

The tall figure had clothes that she had noticed most of the Captains of the Shinigami wearing, though she didn't recognize him as a Captain she had met.

He had genuinely handsome features and messy black hair that went down to the middle of his neck. However she noticed something distinctly.

His eyes…

They…he was clearly alive…but they…his eyes, they seemed dead, emotionless even.

She didn't even have time to scream as the firm hand of Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai wrapped around her mouth.

"Shhh, don't scream. Ask your friend Yoruichi, I don't have much patience for pretty girls. Struggle and I might have to break every bone in your body."

Orihime wisely chose not to scream, though her mind was screaming in terror as she pondered this stranger who had her firmly grasped and the probability he was the same man everyone had been talking about.

_He…did that to Ichigo!_

Before she could even blink or think another thought, he disappeared, flash stepping himself and her out of the alleyway in a sudden blur as if they hadn't ever existed.

* * *

I really really really wish I could draw.

Because then I'd try to sketch out some Bleach fan-manga…the stuff I write out is so…VISUAL in my head that I can see it vividly animated in the Bleach-style.

I try to describe it the best I can, for example Kaworu's tattoo-like golden markings and the way they burn and sear up his arm, growing like a plant as if some invisible brand or pen is burning them onto his skin…

And other visual elements, I hope you at least vaguely understand what I'm trying to get when it comes to moves and fighting and weapons…I wish I could draw them out, even character descriptions, I have everything totally visual and vivid in my brain.

Oh well, as long as you're enjoying it so far…

Don't worry, I have a lot planned out for Ichigo and his friends…poor Orihime…What does Kaworu intend to do?

There's still a lot of plot I have planned out just barely outlined in my mind, so fans of the many various characters and pairings in Bleach, some who may not have gotten much face time, worry not!

Get ready for some crazy stuff next chapter!

* * *


	13. Manus Celer Dei

Well, here's the next chapter.

As always, I appreciate any and all reviews and readers. 

Reviews really spur me on and encourage my writing, and I always read out every review no matter how long and answer questions if you happen to put any in there.

I really hope this fanfic isn't getting too weird and rushed…maybe I write the chapters too quickly sometimes, but this is just so much fun to write for me. 

Hope it's just as fun to read. 

Let's get this started!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc.. Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

Orihime Inoue gasped as she tried to focus through a haze of numbness and pain, feeling her body unable to move, her vision blurred and confusing.

She actually felt paralyzed, or what she imagined paralysis was like, her body cold and unfeeling as she gazed at the two men standing close by.

She knew not where she was or what was happening, but surely if she had been cognizant, she would've been quite surprised.

Uryū Ishida had no idea what he was doing, why he was standing there listening to this clearly enemy's words, why he hadn't moved quickly and saved Orihime, why he wasn't attacking this man.

He had received the note a while ago…

_A friend of the Ishida Family sends his regards_

And it had outlined a certain location and given vague orders to bring "the big-bosomed girl" along.

Why had he even humored the note? Curiosity?

No, he couldn't fool himself now; things had changed since his battle with Mayuri. Since he had watched Ichigo saved them all.

_Depending on a Shinigami? Foolish, idiotic, unallowable…he could hear his father's voice enunciating such things…_

"You don't trust me do you, Ishida? You have every right not to…I am a Shinigami. However…I knew your grandfather, Sōken Ishida and his father Shigeru Ishida…I tried to help them both you know, back then when the Quincy Wars were raging."

Ishida took a step back, having heard all of this already from the strange Shinigami who called himself "Kaworu". He found it preposterous!

_Then why don't I do something?!_

"You don't believe me? Like I said, understandable…however…I have proof…your great-grandfather gave it to me, long ago, before the Wars began. I never managed to put it to good use, but…in the light of the loss of your powers, maybe I can…"

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai pulled away part of his Captain's uniform to expose his chest. Ishida's eyes widened in surprise.

Normally it would be from the massive scar running down Kaworu's torso, given to him by Yoruichi, though Ishida had no idea.

However, something else attracted the shocked young Quincy's eyes.

On Kaworu's chest, presumably exactly nineteen millimeters from where his heart would be beating inside of his skin, lay a pentacle-shaped scar. A Quincy Cross.

"You?! How do you have that? Why?! You're a Shinigami! You're the bastard who fought Kurosaki!"

"I was assassinated by Soul Society long ago for a single sin, standing for the lives of those Quincy that the Shinigami planned to slaughter. I remember my words before my father, begging him to reconsider. There had to have been other ways, you know…You shouldn't be surprised I knew your family and that they assisted in creating the first Shinigami-Quincy hybrid…"

"They'd never! We…we are sworn enemies, it is preposterous!"

"Sworn enemies? Yet you tag along with that Ichigo fellow all the time, don't you? Your relationship there is a figurative hybrid itself. No matter how much you humor yourself on your relationship and friendship and act distanced or perceive Ichigo as 'different', it will never change the fact that he comes from the line of those who helped _kill your grandfather and family!_"

"I…"

"We are much alike in this way, you know…wronged by our pasts, wronged by Soul Society…yet you seem to have kept your ties and compassions, and I excuse that since you are young…but your power has suffered for it…"

"What do you mean?!"

"I can sense it in you; you no longer have your full powers, yes? There was a time I'm sure when you were a proud Quincy…but look at you now! Depending on the strength of Shinigami!"

"Bastard!"

Ishida's eyes widened in anger and he reached to draw a spirit arrow before he realized he no longer had his powers. He trembled in frustration as he heard Kaworu's haughty laughter.

"I learned much, you know…how to awaken Quincy powers in someone, be they a former Quincy or even a Shinigami…My Quincy powers were been weakened long ago, but I've always been studying their techniques, keeping tabs on their survivors. If only I had been able to be there when old Sōken died…I would've…"

"Shut up!"

"Still confused? Conflicted? I'm not surprised…but I offer you the devil's tongue…You see, I offer you nothing short of Paradise…Tell me Ishida, what if I told you that there could be a world out there where your grandfather was alive, where your Quincy comrades had survived, a world of peace and prosperity?"

"I'd call you a madman!"

"Yes, I'd imagine such a response…however, the gate to a new existence engineered solely by my will is possible, you know. All I need are the powers of a Quincy to focus the spiritual energy of this plane into a single arrow and the King of Soul Society's Royal Key. I will take hold that throne in the sky, the power of a god that Aizen wishes to take hold of, I know of it. We will supersede him and engineer a paradise where neither he nor the brutality of Soul Society need exist. A world where Yoruichi gave me her lips, not her sword in my flesh. A world where your grandfather and father and family stood together proudly and the Quincy were enlivened. Maybe even a world where _that_ girl would pay you the slightest attention instead of fawning over that Shinigami you call your friend!"

Ishida followed Kaworu's suggestive gaze at Orihime's unconscious form and stiffened.

"What are you implying?!"

"You're as open as a book! And as easily torn apart in my hands! You need new strength, a return to your Quincy powers, and I can provide that…one must train to the highest levels of fatigue and fitness, and then receive a Spirit Arrow at the cavity nodule nineteen millimeters from your heart. It's difficult, risky, but your great grandfather gave me that pentacle scar on my chest himself…those days were long ago, and my Quincy powers are near vanished, but I know I have the ability to at least summon that one arrow you need in your chest."

"Hah! You think I'll just allow you to shoot me in the chest?! This could all be a trick to-"

Suddenly Kaworu was right behind him, and Ishida's eyes widened in surprise bordering on awe.

"Trick to accomplish what? Kill you? My dear boy, I could suffocate you with my spiritual presence alone if I wanted to. No, I wish to reawaken the Quincy in you and train you to a new level of strength. For the sake of Shigeru Ishida and those Quincy long massacred, and frankly for my own sake. My own powers were awakened in such a technique, and they have long worn away in my Shinigami body…but you…you are the tool I need…the Quincy who can help me access the King's Key and Throne. I need no cursed Hōgyoku! I came here originally because Aizen had the artifact I needed to reinvigorate my own Quincy powers, but with you I no longer need him…I'll lead him along a bit more regardless, maybe even get him Rukia…"

"Tool?! And what makes you think I'll allow myself to be used?"

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai bent forward and whispered harshly behind Ishida's ears.

"Because I can give you the power…the power to surpass Ichigo Kurosaki or even the strongest of the Shinigami…I can train you, train you like that Yoruichi trained him, I know all about it... and with that power you can wrest a final vengeance from the Shinigami, and with that power along my side we can both redirect a new chapter of this terrible existence…A new _Paradise_. Only through the destruction of this world can a new more vibrant one be created."

Uryū Ishida remained silent, but his body was trembling. The new words and knowledge imparted on him, indeed this Devil's Tongue, and those conflicting thoughts of his friends…his body was paralyzed with indecision.

He looked up to see Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai standing before him, his arms stretched out as if drawing an invisible bow, and indeed a spirit arrow began to form in Kaworu's hands though it clearly was not very strong.

"So, shall we begin?"

* * *

Days flowed past, then weeks…

Soul Society began to contemplate the fact that the intruders had simply vanished.

Though to those with even small degrees of reason, it was obvious something was amiss.

Lively Seireitei felt like a graveyard. Captains Hitsugaya, Kurotsuchi, Ukitake, Kyōraku, Hisagi, and Komamura were nowhere to be seen by their Lieutenants or Divisions.

Normally this would have alarmed the attention of Captain Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai himself but the old man hadn't called a Captain's Meeting in ages, his Seireitei orders to all Shinigami to stand down and ignore the "strange occurrences" still active as if he ominously was aware the intruders hadn't vanished just yet.

In fact the only Captains still generally seen in public were Captains Kuchiki, Unohana, Zaraki, and the still hospitalized Soifon.

Generally there was a latent electricity in the attitude and atmosphere of Soul Society, as if everyone felt something big was about to happen.

Everyone was tense, and this included one Ichigo Kurosaki.

His aches and wounds had seemingly returned with even greater pain and he was still in that hut with a recovered Rukia, both of them tending to be brooding and silent. She would often visit her older brother, he would often demand Kisuke Urahara allow him to go hunt for the missing Orihime and Ishida…but they never really interacted with each other directly as much, Rukia and Ichigo.

As if there was a divide between them, and unconscious one perhaps. For Rukia, it seemed obvious she felt guilty about Ichigo's severe wounds and worried for his missing friends who she now considered her own friends as well.

However Ichigo Kurosaki's worries seemed far different. Often he would awaken in the night, screaming and gasping in pain, whispering for his dead mother, trembling or having night fits.  
Rukia couldn't stand to see him like that anymore, so more and more as she found herself unable to help him; she simply slept in her normal quarters at Headquarters.

* * *

Ichigo Kurosaki let out a gasp in the night, awakening yet again in a cold sweat.

It had been happening for many nights now, these frequent nightmares. In his minds he could hear the screams of his friends, his family…his mother…Rukia…Orihime…all of them.

All along he could hear that voice inside himself. It was not the Hollow, he hadn't felt the Hollow since that battle with Kaworu…no…it was truly himself, he knew it…

_You haven't the strength to protect them…You couldn't help your mother…you couldn't help anyone…or yourself! Pitiful! Now Orihime and Ishida are simply missing, gone right under your slumbering wounded nose! Pathetic…_

Ichigo rolled about under his covers, feeling absorbed with the sweat on his skin and filth in his mind.

"Pathetic…pathetic…I…I have to…be stronger for them…"

"Truer words were never spoken; dear boy…you do seem like a pathetic worm right now, squirming there in your blanket…"

Ichigo yelped and leapt up with a jump at the sudden foreign voice in his room. He knew suddenly whose voice it was…certainly not foreign…

Before his now unraveled beddings stood Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai himself, and the former Shinigami Captain seemed no worse for wear since the last time Ichigo had seen him.

He still had that arrogant smirk, those flowing Captain's garments that had seemingly been repaired and cleaned…but…

Ichigo noted the look in Kaworu's eyes and almost felt pity. They seemed tired, dead, the eyes of a corpse. No light.

However this was obviously instantly replaced by Ichigo's rage…rage at his own weakness…rage at this bastard.

"Bastard!"

Ichigo reached out for Zangetsu only to wince with pain as Kaworu's foot gently but firmly planted itself on his right arm.

"No…no…We can't have that. I have no time to play with your toy sword, and I think you'll have no urge to play with me when you hear the marvelous toy I got for myself…She's a feisty young girl indeed!"

Ichigo hissed, staring up hatefully at Kaworu.

"What're you talking about?!"

"I know you know who I speak of, that Orihime you treasure so much…You seem to value your friends so greatly…this young naivety unknowing what I know, that they would betray your trust and strength in an instant if needed."

"Shut up! Where's Inoue you son of a bitch?!"

"Somewhere…safe…alive. That's all you need to know for now. I'll give you her back…if you give me Rukia Kuchiki in return…"

Ichigo's eyes widened in disbelief and anger and he flailed around uselessly until Kaworu applied more pressure to the foot stamping on his arm.

"So wild, so angry…that hate in your eyes, keep it, treasure it, it won't be there forever…when you have lived as long as me you grow to forget the marvelous taste of human emotion…But that is another story. I told you what I wanted in return for your friend. I need that Kuchiki girl…"

"NEVER! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Unlikely…I don't see why you're so…difficult. Choose between the two females you seem to cherish so sickeningly. I only had one, and she was a bitch who gave me death for our anniversary. Count yourself lucky."

Kaworu reached into his flowing clothes and pulled out a flower-shaped hairpin which he promptly dropped on the floor before Ichigo's raging face.

"Tomorrow, at the far western district of Seireitei, in front of the currently inactive Third Division's Headquarters…bring Rukia Kuchiki, or next time I'll drop Orihime's skull here instead of a mere hairpin."

Ichigo stared up at him with barely controlled rage, his face twisting in confusion and helplessness as Kaworu lifted his foot and simply disappeared; obviously flash stepping out of the hut as quickly as he had intruded.

When Kaworu disappeared, Ichigo leapt up grasping Zangetsu and smashed it against the ground in frustrated fury.

"Dammit! What use is my bankai, what use is my sword, what use is any of my power if I can't protect my friends?! Shit! Shit!"

Ichigo Kurosaki did not notice the two men who had been close by outside watching him and Kaworu.

Kisuke Urahara smirked, ignoring Ukitake at his side.

"What great providence…"

"I would watch what you call great providence, Urahara…Rukia is a valued member of my division, and I assumed…your friend. Keep in mind that we humor your presence here in Soul Society only while you are a helpful party to the solving of this terrible problem. Afterwards it would be wise for you to leave immediately before Captain Yamamoto or Kuchiki execute you themselves."

Kisuke gave his former mentor Captain Jūshirō Ukitake a snide look.

He hated being around this memory of the past, it invalidated his current strength and he felt like it returned him to his futile youth. As if he was some weak student again still struggling with life.

As if he'd want to waste anymore time than necessary in this pitiful place.

Urahara had only come for Yoruichi, he told himself as he often visited her yet unconscious form in the infirmary. However deep inside he knew he plotted far greater reasons for his return…Kaworu had to be silenced and stopped once and for all.

His intents may have been admirable, but he had gone about them all the wrong way and far too early. He had paid for this, and Urahara had been content with him being a ghost of the past.

"I simply mean that this will be the perfect time to strike…obviously we can't actually be expected to let either girl die or be captured…At the appointed meeting time and location we will simply move in full force, remove the girls, and eliminate Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai."

"Eliminate him, hmm? So you harbor no regret for erasing this man who once was your greatest friend?"

Kisuke Urahara glanced at Ukitake with an unreadable expression and then turned away.

"I have many sins weighing on my shoulders Jūshirō…one more for the sake of the Shinigami will make no difference."

* * *

The dust cleared the next day as the rays of the sun pierced the barren open ground in front of Third Division's Headquarters in the far western district of Seireitei.

Everything had been planned out to the minutest detail, and all parties including, importantly, Rukia and Ichigo had been informed of the plan to ensnare this Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai.

On the dusty field appeared only Ichigo, his expressions preoccupied and tense, and Rukia by his side. She seemed to give him worrisome glances every few minutes, but it was clear she was trying to be strong for what would soon come.

And indeed, _he_ did soon come, materializing about fifty feet away in the swirling wind.

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai looked exactly like Rukia remembered him, an elegant but savage young man in Captain's clothes with a small knife at his hip.  
However, there was a slightly new accessory now. Dangling rather rudely and haphazardly from his right hand was the limp form of Orihime Inoue. Rukia could sense from Inoue's spiritual presence that while she was unconscious and weakened, she was still alive.

That at least meant something; soon the trap could be sprung.

The foul man now called across the field, staring emotionlessly at Rukia and Ichigo.

"You've made your choice, I see…order the Kuchiki girl forward and I'll rouse this bosom girl forward myself…she's been under a bit of paralysis that's all…No harm done…"

Rukia could see Ichigo trembling with rage and frustration alongside her, ready to draw his blade and rush haphazardly towards Kaworu.

Preempting his foolishness, she quickly began to move forward towards Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai as the man roused a confused and fatigued Orihime and urged her towards Rukia.

"Rukia? Where am I? What is this?"

"Shhh, Orihime…just listen…one, two, three, step towards me as I step towards you…it'll all be okay…trust me…"

The two girls slowly made their way across the field, and just as they were about to intersect, an army appeared.

An army? Perhaps not, but Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai must've been startled by the sudden appearance of so many uninvited guests.

Twenty feet behind Kaworu were Captains Kyōraku and Ukitake, silent and ominous. Twenty feet in front of him, in between Kaworu and the girls, were former Captain Kisuke Urahara, Captains Hisagi and Komamaru, and Ichigo Kurosaki himself having quickly flash stepped forward.

Kaworu shrugged, suddenly flashing in front of the two girls, whirling around to glare at the collected company of Shinigami that had appeared.

"I had a feeling this type of thing would happened, but I figured it'd provide me a good opportunity to kill a few Captains or two. Guess I thought right, you should've all heeded my father's orders."

From the second he had appeared, Kisuke Urahara could feel Kaworu's glare on him. He had expected a more dramatic reaction for a reunion this many centuries in the making, but all he received was Kaworu's cold disturbing stare.

Breaking himself out of his stupor, Urahara spun around to his 'comrades', comrades at least temporarily.

"Ichigo! Grab Rukia, I'll take Orihime...we need to move, quickly!"

Kaworu gave a sneer, suddenly appearing in a wild crouch in front of Kisuke, sending a roundhouse kick at Urahara's face.

Urahara just barely managed to dodge it and flash next to Orihime, grabbing her.

"Oh no you don't!"

Urahara's eyes widened as Kaworu hurtled towards him at lightning speed, realizing that with Orihime in his arms he had no chance of outmatching such a level of flash stepping agility.

Suddenly, a massive explosion of dust between Kisuke and Kaworu, obscuring their views and stopping Kaworu's fists attempted reunion with Kisuke's face.

The last thing Kisuke saw before the dusty cloud enveloped all were Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai pained and hollow eyes, still deep and beautiful, yet now pulsing with a supremely enveloping hate that seemed to threaten the possibility of paralyzing Kisuke where he stood.

Now, a brisk wind was gently moving away the dust, and instead of finding Kaworu's eyes or fist in his face, he found himself staring at a massive…back.

Then…a furry canine face, confident but angered.

Captain Sajin Komamura stood now between the two old adversaries who had once been friends, and his spiritual presence was indeed menacing along with his strange appearance.

He glared at Kaworu with what seemed to be utmost disrespect, and Kaworu gave him a snide grin.

"Huh? I didn't know they accepted doggies as Captains now…or are you a fox? How amusing…I assume you're my father's lapdog? Does that look mean you wish to kill me?"

Komamura continued to stare fiercely at Kaworu, though he shook his head.

"No…I was simply contemplating how a son of a man as seemingly great as Chief Captain Yamamoto-Genryūsai could become such a thing…this queer sense of justice you have, it reminds me of a friend of mine…I swore I would bring him back and enlighten him to true justice with my own hands and sword."

Kaworu sneered.

"Don't project your pitiful past onto me, Fido. Out of my way before I send you to doggie heaven."

"I will do no such thing…long have I contemplated the mad wildness of Zaraki, the inflexible wrongs of your father, the skewed and subjective justice of Kaname…I see now that there is a balance between all three that I myself can find…I need only my will, my strength, and my sword! _Tenken_!"

Komamura flash stepped forward with speed deceptive for his massive size, slamming his zanpakutō down towards Kaworu.

The canine Captain's strength was indeed impressive, leaving a large scar in the earth with a single slash of his unreleased zanpakutō. However Kaworu was totally unharmed, having seemingly dodged it without much difficulty, a few inches to the right of the area where Komamaru's sword had struck.

"I see…then I have no choice…I'll have to end this quickly…no pulling punches…Todoroke, _Tenken_! BANKAI! _Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō_! Let the spirit of his own blade bear his coffin!"

Urahara whirled around, deciding not to watch the rest of the fight, overcome with satisfaction at how the plan was going despite initial setbacks. He had Orihime and Kaworu was occupied, now that Ichigo had Rukia they could both tactically retrea-…

Kisuke Urahara stared dumbly at Rukia's confused and unattended form trying to make her way out of the dusty plain without arousing attention.

Ichigo Kurosaki hadn't moved a muscle since all the flashing tactical movements had begun.

Urahara suddenly saw why.

Behind Ichigo's head was a glowing spirit arrow, presumably drawn ready to pummel straight through his skull.

The arrow led up to familiar hands and arms and the even more disturbingly familiar face of Uryū Ishida.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter…

Did it seem too rushed?

Maybe?

I hope not…

For those wondering:

"Where's Hitsugaya?! Chad?! Kenpachi?! Mayuri?! Etc?!" 

Worry not…you'll find out more and see more characters in the following chapters, there's simply an important showdown happening right now and I'll be focusing on it prior to any of that. 

Especially Kenpachi and Hitsugaya. I have BIG BIG plans for them down the line. And plans for all of the pairings and characters and possibilities you all love. This fanfic will stretch on beyond this "Kaworu Arc". 

Oh, and for those wondering what fighting Komamura will be like, oh just wait…We've barely gotten to see or understand his powers in the series so far. I have something thought out…heheh.

And what of Kaworu's intentions regarding this 'paradise' he wishes to make using the King of Soul Society and talk of taking the throne…seems like he's been thinking along the same lines as Aizen or knows something we don't.

And what of Ishida?! What happened?! Did he really train with Kaworu? And if so, how has he changed? Has the "Last Quincy" truly grown more powerful?

Hope you guys stay along for the ride.

See ya next chapter.


	14. Para Bellum

I hope this isn't too long of a chapter…but I couldn't control myself.

I feel like maybe I should've separated it into two chapters or something.

I mean, you guys say "This length is just right", but is it really? I mean, does it get so long that you guys don't feel like reading?

It just didn't seem right to separate the two important fights here into two chapters, especially because there's still so much left to write…

Hope you guys are enjoying this all so far…I try to answer all queries in reviews and to make sure that there are no plot holes or weird discrepancies.

I'm used to writing Evangelion fanfiction, and while Eva deals with deeper and more difficult to write concepts than Bleach at times, I find Bleach is a harder series to write for.

Why? Because it's such a MASSIVE series. While I can remember every moment of the twenty six episodes and movies of Evangelion, it's intensely difficult to remember every moment in Bleach so far, especially with new revelations each week with the manga.

I try though, and I hope you're enjoying my arc so far.

Let's get this started!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc.. Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

**Soul Society **

**Seireitei**

Kaworu had sneered in Komamura's face.

"Don't project your pitiful past onto me, Fido. Out of my way before I send you to doggie heaven."

"I will do no such thing…long have I contemplated the mad wildness of Zaraki, the inflexible wrongs of your father, the skewed and subjective justice of Kaname…I see now that there is a balance between all three that I myself can find…I need only my will, my strength, and my sword! _Tenken_!"

Komamura flash stepped forward with speed deceptive for his massive size, slamming his zanpakutō down towards Kaworu.

The canine Captain's strength was indeed impressive, leaving a large scar in the earth with a single slash of his unreleased zanpakutō. However Kaworu was totally unharmed, having seemingly dodged it without much difficulty, a few inches to the right of the area where Komamaru's sword had struck.

"I see…then I have no choice…I'll have to end this quickly…no pulling punches…Todoroke, _Tenken_! BANKAI! _Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō_! Let the spirit of his own blade bear his coffin!"

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai's eyes were no longer scornful and arrogant.

While Komamura's long nodachi-like zanpakutō hadn't seemed to have gotten any longer, his body was now surrounded by a soft yellow aura.

And behind him was…a massive glowing dragon with golden scales, stretching wings and fangs the size of towers.

A traditional Japanese dragon glowering and glowing with electricity and lightning bolts flying out of it, a burning golden tail, and a massive katana in its claws that seemed the size of a skyscraper.

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai took a step back, the battlefield clouded with dust and rubble as he gazed upon the massive dragon and the now seemingly dwarf-like in comparison Komamura.

"I-Inazuma? How is that…possible?!"

Komamura glared at him slightly, bringing his sword down in a swing in the air, which the massive dragon quickly mimicked by sending his giant katana just as nimbly down at Kaworu's form.

The giant creature was deceptively quick, and when the smoke cleared, Kaworu was seen inches away from the massive katana which was still embedded in the earth. He was panting for breath, like an ant next to the giant sword.

Komamura stared at him, bringing his sword back up, the giant dragon also removing his katana from the earth which shook as the massive blade was removed from it.

"Tenken…hides like I did…long ago…My zanpakutō is still too shamed to show its true face and spirit, like I was for so many years and years in that mask before Kenpachi freed me with his fury. One day, Tenken will learn that there is no shame in his beauty and unique form, but until then his power remains absolute. His true form is shamed and so he takes on the form and power of my opponent's zanpakutō spirits. While every zanpakutō has special abilities, each also has a spirit, sentient beings that one must face when trying to master shikai and bankai, but you know all this I'm sure...it's why you recognize that dragon there…I remember being so surprised when I used this technique against Kenpachi, though I didn't show it. If only he knew who that giant swordsman he faced was, supposedly he is ignorant of his own sword. While Tenken may not _really _ be your zanpakutō spirit, he can take on your zanpakutō spirit's form...his size depending on the spiritual power of the opponent…Thus, '_Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō_! Let the spirit of his own blade bear his coffin'…"

Kaworu had been staring past Komamura at Tenken, clearly disgruntled or possible even scared.

"Shut up! Shut up!"

Suddenly Komamura flash stepped behind Kaworu, making Kaworu whirl around in anger.

"Silence will not save you; Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai…your punishment is absolute."

Kaworu hadn't responded, his eyes widening at the fact that not only had Komamura flash stepped behind him, but _so had the massive dragon hundreds of times larger than them both!_

He barely had any time to realize what was happening when Komamura swiped his sword through the air in an overhead slam, his eyes widening as a giant shadow encompassed him and he glimpsed the massive katana above him descending just as quickly as Komamura's had.

_Impossible! A being of that size moving as quickly and easily as that goddamn Captain?!_

The ground shook with the massive collision of the blade to the ground, shaking up rubble and dust as Kaworu quickly flash stepped up and away into the air.

He grit his teeth, his eyes widening like saucers as he glimpsed Komamura simply swiping his katana to the side in an easy motion and the giant dragon mimicking this just as easily to send the katana embedded in the ground hurtling at the man who had just barely leaped away from it into the air.

Darkness.

Kaworu groaned, shakily standing from the dust and dirt and wiping the blood from his nose. It appeared as if some fellow had simply punched him in the face, while in fact the blow had been massive. He had only just managed to cushion most of the force with a massive blast of his own spiritual power.

His body was now trembling, and for the first time it seemed it was more exhaustion than anger.

_I have no choice then…_

"Damn you! Kowasu, _Inazuma_!"

He drew the small tantō-like zanpakutō from his hip as he spoke, sputtering angrily.

The tantō became a long cross spear suddenly, the blade of the tantō serving as the main blade of the spear though a bit elongated, while two other blades had formed in the sides as well as a long thick wooden pole handle, to form a cross spear.

He managed this just as the massive blade of the giant dragon was brought down once again, Komamura close by having made that same slash first.

Kaworu grunted, shaking his head as he began to flash step around the massive quaking blasts of each blow of the katana.

_I won't be able to keep up this sort of speed forever without having to go bankai or maybe even opening some of Inazuma's seals…and there's no way I can waste any of that on a fool like this…I have about five other Captains waiting on the outskirts of this battle! And I have more important fish to fry! Not a fox to fry! _

His eyes widened in shock as the sword just barely missed him now, landing inches away and sending massive boulders and rubble slamming into him.

Kaworu spat blood, turning to see a massive black wall in front of him. Obviously it was simply the blade of the katana.

He whirled around to see Komamura close by with a calm and almost peacefully confident look on his face, holding his own smaller katana down in the ground with that same stroke the giant dragon had made.  
_Fox…to fry…What have I been thinking? This is far easier than I thought…Even if that dragon moves with the speed of someone my size and with unbelievable power, if I simply eliminate his director, there will be no problem._

Komamura's eyes widened suddenly as Kaworu appeared right behind him, flash stepping with spear in hand as Komamura whirled about to face him.

It was too fast, before Komamura could raise his sword or make any sort of direction to the giant dragon that was now behind him.

Nor could Komamura stop the great agility of Kaworu's hands directing the sleek and vicious spear in his hands, slamming it with great force right at Komamura's chest.

A gasp…drops of blood hitting the ground.

Kaworu's cross spear slide rudely out of the terrible wound it had cause on the right side of Komamura's chest, sending Sajin Komamura slumping to his knees in a spiraling splash of blood.

Komamura gasped for air, trying to stop the blood flowing onto his Captain's robes, eyeing Kaworu's looming form with obvious abhorrence that at the same time seemed collected and restrained.

Kaworu stood over the bleeding Captain who was now wounded and on his knees.

The former Captain Yamamoto-Genryūsai gloated and stared with terribly arrogance that suffocated just as much as his massive and earth-shaking spiritual power.

"On your knees, huh, doggie? Are you this way with my father everyday? Does he give you bones for your nice little tricks? Like this one, summoning my zanpakutō's spirit?! Don't be ludicrous! A nice trick, but it didn't hold up well, did it? All I had to do was kill the trickster directing it, and the illusion or summon itself would be useless! Without your smaller form to direct that giant thing's speed and movements, he's useless…Inazuma or not. How about I put this nice little doggie to sleep now?"

Komamura shook his head sadly, nursing the bloody wound on his chest, his pain evident.

"No…you are a fool…I _limit_ Tenken, not the other way around…he mimics my movements because I force him too, otherwise he would cause far too much collateral damage and destroy the entire area around a battle of mine…His movements are far faster and more brutal than mine…"

Kaworu's eyes widened as he stared at and listened to the wounded fox-like Captain, hearing a massive explosion and whirling blast of dust behind him. It was then he noticed the giant dragon that had been behind Komamura when he had struck the anthropomorphic captain had disappeared.

Inazuma, or rather Tenken in Inazuma's form, loomed directly behind him, eyes blazing, each eye large enough to hold a hundred Kaworus…his jaws definitely large enough to swallow many many more.

"Shit…"

* * *

Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes widened as he glanced behind himself, noticing Uryū Ishida's determined-looking face and eyes full of latent rage. 

"Ishida?! What the hell do you think you're doing? We were worried about you, what're you doing here?!"

"I'm here to stop you and your Shinigami compatriots…"

"What're you talking about Ishida? Are you with him? What did he do to you?!"

"By the honor of the Quincy, I will avenge my history!"

Ichigo let out a gasp, just barely dodging as Ishida let loose his nimble spirit arrow. However Ichigo could feel it burn against his cheek, his dodge that close a call.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"As long as you are what you are, alongside them…I have no choice…Rukia I can ignore, out of my own prehistoric chivalry…but you are a problem."

Ichigo grunted, leaping backwards and drawing his large unreleased zanpakutō to block another one of Ishida's incoming spirit arrows.

Ishida's eyes widened in annoyance and he quickly used Hirenkyakuto flash step away from Ichigo towards Ichigo's right flank.

Ishida quickly aimed his glowing bow up in the air, firing a single spirit arrow into the sky.

"Kabetengai!"

Ichigo looked up to the arrow in puzzlement, and then his eyes widened in confusion as he was suddenly surrounded by a volley of flowing spirit arrows that seemed to be pointed at him from every direction.

They quickly hurtled at him and connected in a massive explosion of spiritual power and dust.

When the dust had cleared, a calm wind drifting by, it revealed Ichigo with his reiatsu massive and pulsating. He seemed totally unharmed, though his Zangetsu was sizzling and his eyes were wide in rage.

"How did you…"

Ichigo shook his head angrily.

"Doesn't matter how many you throw at me, Ishida…the number, the direction…I'll block them all…You may have been brainwashed or tricked, but I'm not just going to lie down and take it…After all, you're just a-"

"Just a what?! Just a Quincy?!"

"No, I-"

"Shut up! Shut up!"

Ishida flashed directly in front of Ichigo, his body and bow glowing as he absorbed the spiritual particles that made up all of their surroundings in Soul Society to make a particularly abnormally large arrow.

Ichigo's eyes widened and he brought up his massive Zangetsu as Ishida let loose the giant almost missile-size arrow.

The sword sizzled with an explosion of spiritual power and wind, deflecting the arrow away harmlessly.

Ichigo quickly rushed forward, swinging the flat of his blade at Ishida's head.

"I'm going to have to knock you out for your own good! Maybe he's done something to you, but I'm not going to get shot up because of that!"

Ishida's eyes widened and his hands seemed to be reaching for something as the blade hurtled towards him, but Ichigo simply smirked in supreme confidence as his blade…

Collided with another blade?!

"What ?!"

Zangetsu, instead of slamming against Ishida's head, had been met by a glowing white saber, slim but deceptively strong with an impressive spiritual strength.

"W-What is that?!"

Ishida's eyes gleamed with confidence behind his spectacles.

"It's too bad…I really wanted to save this for later. Now, let's continue…"

"What?! But you're a Quincy!"

"Seele Schneider, 'that which slits the soul'….The one and only weapon of an advanced Quincy that is a blade. Kaworu gave them to me. Five in fact."

Kurosaki's eyes then noticed the five small sheaths at Ishida's hip he hadn't paid any mind to at the start of the battle.

Ichigo grit his teeth, pressing his Zangetsu against Ishida as the Quincy clearly strained to hold his ground.

"Hah, I don't know what you're talking about, but you've got to be crazy to be trying to go blade against blade with me!"

He smirked, his spiritual power rushing out in full force as he began to push Ishida sliding back, sword against sword.

Then…suddenly…he noticed.

The so-called Seele Schneider was…sliding into his blade! Cracking it! Cutting into it! Zangetsu was giving?!

Ishida smirked.

"The Seele Schneider is a weapon that is technically most like a chainsaw…the spirit particles travel back and forth thirty million times a second over the surface of the blade, which is constructed of spirit particles itself…"

"Dammit! Shut up you bastard!"

Ichigo had no choice but to quickly flash step backwards, grunting as Ishida flashed with him as brought his white blade back down towards Ichigo's head.

Ichigo grit his teeth, ducking under the slash and sending a hard fist into Ishida's face.

He followed this up by slashing Zangetsu in a long horizontal motion that just barely missed the stumbling Ishida.

Ishida grunted, wiping the blood from his nose and then looking down with evident shock at a small cut at his stomach. Evidently while Zangetsu had seemed to have missed, Ishida hadn't gotten away fast enough.

Ichigo stared at Ishida, shaking his head sadly.

"Powerful or not, you're not a swordsman, Ishida…you've got no chance against my speed and experience with blades…In the end, if the powers of the two swords fighting are nearly the same, the sword with the longer reach is victorious."

Ishida looked up from his wound to stare coldly at Ichigo.

"'Nearly the same'? You're a little off. The spirit force vibration of the Seele Schneider isn't to _cut_ something. It's so that using the vibration it loosens the fusion of spirit particles in the area around it, therefore making them easier to absorb and fly through. Did you forget? The Quincy battle by absorbing the spirit particles around them and turning them into their weapons. That is embodied the strongest in this Seele Schneider. Your spirit particles might as well be mine…"

"Shut up! Enough of this crap!"

Ichigo quickly rushed forward with increased speed, roaring as he raised his Zangetsu over his head in preparation to bring it down hard at Ishida's head. This time it seemed he clearly didn't intend to just 'knock out'.

"And…another thing you're wrong about, Kurosaki…The Seele Schneider _isn't_ a sword..."

Ishida brought the Seele Schneider's glorious white blade up and notched it against his blue bow before continuing.

"Quincy traditionally only use bows and arrows…Sorry, I win Ichigo Kurosaki…the difference in reach really does determine the winner, and your reach is far too short."

Ichigo's eyes widened in terror, realizing he couldn't stop his charge at the Quincy as Ishida let loose the glowing white blade-like arrow right towards his chest.

* * *

Hitsugaya's eyes blurred in the darkness and he felt that opening them caused him great pain. 

The last thing he could remember was…Mayuri's laughter?

_Dammit?! Experiments? What did that bastard do to me?_

Opening his eyes he found himself…in darkness…

He could see his own body, but all that stretched out before him was a black void.

His eyes suddenly widened, behind him he could hear a terrible roar.

Spinning around he found himself face to face with a massive blue dragon, covered in scale with tall protruding spikes made of ice and water swirling in an aura all around him…along with piercing red eyes.

"Hyōrinmaru?!"

He barely managed to let that out as the beast hurtled itself at him.

* * *

Chad sat silently yet alert on the grand white steps as he detected Ichigo's spiritual power again…and Ishida's? And others… 

_Where did Ichigo and Rukia go? And Ishida and Orihime? Why was I not told? Are they in danger?_

"Stop poutin' you big dope!"

Chad slowly looked up to see Captain Kenpachi Zaraki with Yachiru balanced on his shoulders, giggling as she made faces at Chad.

Zaraki eyed Chad warily.

"It's you from before…one of Ichigo's friends, huh? Wondering where he is, or are you trying to find that massive spiritual presence like me?"

"What're you talking about Kenny?! I know exactly where it is! No one's 'trying'!"

"You see, neither me or my little Lieutenant here have much of a mind for detecting spiritual power…but I think I've figured exactly where Ichigo and that fellow with the big power I keep trying to find are gonna be. If you're looking for them, you could join me…if only to watch as I beat them to a pulp."

Chad stared at Zaraki in stoic curiosity.

"Where?"

Kenpachi turned around, ignoring Yachiru's annoyed little fists on his head.

"Where Ichigo and I fought first, after all…It tends to be that every trouble in this place centers on getting to Shrine of Penitence or Yamamoto's headquarters…everything ends up targeted at the center, and I'll be there at the top of the steps waiting…Doesn't matter if it's Ichigo or that supposed new intruder who comes…I just need a good old fight to the death..."

And with that, the tall Captain began moving forward towards the grand ivory steps in the distance, Chad following him.

* * *

Ishida watched as the dust began to clear, but he could barely stifle his gasp at what appeared. 

In front of him was a different Ichigo…in black robes with his slimmer black katana, shimmering with massive spiritual power that was almost menacing.

_What?! Isn't this his bankai?!_

In Ichigo's hand was the powerful Seele Schneider Ishida had fired.

Kurosaki stared hard at Ishida, frowning as he pointed to a single dot of blood on his chest.

"I managed to use bankai and catch this thing before it pierced my heart, you bastard! Like I said, I don't know what happened to you, but I'm not playing games anymore. You no longer have a chance."

Uryū Ishida's eyes widened and he let out a startled gasp as Ichigo was suddenly directly in front of him, sending a flurry of slashes at him.

Ishida grunted, feeling some of the slashes leave shallow cuts on his chest, flash stepping back and trying to notch another arrow.

Before he could even fire, Ichigo was with him, sending Zangetsu flying in an overhead slash down towards Ishida's head.

_This speed?!_

Ishida barely had time to take a single step back and let the arrow loose at Ichigo's feet, the spirit arrow hitting the ground and sending dust and rubble flying in a thick cloud.

When it had cleared, it revealed Ishida with a long slash on his forehead, bloody but not serious…though it clearly could've bisected his skull if he'd been any closer. He hadn't paused at all, another arrow notched and aimed.

It was aimed at Ichigo of course, who stood unharmed and confident in front of him.

"Why don't you just give, Ishida? You can't beat me like that…"

"Like what?! Like a Quincy?!"

"Whatever you wanna hear…just give up already…"

"Hah! Batsutengoku!"

Ishida let loose the spirit arrow he had notched, however instead of simply flying at Ichigo like a normal arrow, as it flew at him it began to split one by one into copies of itself.

Suddenly Ichigo found almost a hundred arrows hurtling at him.

His eyes widened in strain as he sent his black katana-like zanpakutō flashing in a blur of speed, deflecting all of the arrows in blinding agility that seemed utterly impossible.

When the smoke had cleared, all that was left was Ichigo, his smirk, and his sizzling but unharmed Zangetsu.

Suddenly even Ichigo was gone.

Ishida's eyes widened and he took a painful step forward as he felt Ichigo's sword pass through his side and out.

Ichigo was directly behind him, his zanpakutō now slightly bloodied.

All Ishida could do was to stare down at his bleeding wound in horror, falling to his knees muttering.

"Die…might as well…"

"_Die…you'll die like this…You've let yourself go, Ishida…be weighed down by your so-called 'honor' and foolishness…Even NOW the murderers of your grandfather and great grandfather and your ancestors frolic ALIVE! Cavorting in their survived guilt…"_

_Kawuro paused, gazing at Ishida with pained eyes._

"_I will allow you this foolish chivalry regarding women, because you are young and do not yet understand that there should be no special allowance accorded to them. Why? Because they possess vaginas? What difference does that make? They can be even more cruel and merciless than the vilest man. I believe in equality, it makes no difference to me if the evil I slice apart with my sword has a vagina or penis…I…find all living things equally vile."_

"_I will use your training to grow strong and bring back the honor of the Quincy line, but I do not believe in such words…you are too hateful…"_

_Ishida stared determined at him, letting loose a spirit arrow at Kaworu, who promptly dodged it and appeared inches away from Ishida with his unreleased knife-like zanpakutō close to Ishida's neck._

"_Such compassion…'tis weakness, just as is the weakness of your Quincy form…"_

_Ishida trembled as his eyes looked down at the blade next to his neck._

"_W-What do you mean?!"_

"_Gaze upon the skills of a Quincy…they be solely projectile…therefore, the simplest Quincy has a weakness in his guard, the moment after he fires his missile. Miss, or leave the opponent wounded but not dead…as you Quincy like doing because of your 'mercy'…and the opponent, perhaps a Shinigami or Hollow who is adept at close combat, is given the chance to advance in that moment of weakness and strike down the Quincy. My father was a wise man…using preferable terrain and superior numbers, he was able to off-set the projectile prowess of the Quincy and slash them apart with his armies…"_

_Ishida's eyes widened and his lips trembled with anger._

"_However, before your great-grandfather Shigeru Ishida was killed in such a battle, he helped give birth to a new type of Quincy fighting that utilized both projectile and close combat. He named this new type of Quincy the '__Shishōfū'. A Quincy hybridized with the versatility and melee skills of a Shinigami…I was the first…and the last…The Quincy line was destroyed and I…well I suppose I was executed by your friend Yoruichi on my fathers orders. As you can see, she's a better lover than an assassin, but oh well…such things happen. I can teach you how to become stronger, as the last true Shishōfū."_

_Ishida grunted, using Hirenkyaku to quickly get away and to Kaworu's open side. _

"_Liar! You speak of honoring the Quincy line, yet you speak of tainting it with Shinigami brutishness?!"_

_Quickly he let loose a volley of spirit arrows which hurtled at Kaworu._

_Kaworu whirled around, grinning as he weaved and spiraled around the arrows, avoiding them gracefully._

_In an instant, before he could fire another arrow, Ishida found Kaworu directly in front of him. Before he could blink once more, he found Kaworu's hand grasping his throat and lifting him like a doll off of the ground._

"_IMBECILE! You speak of the Quincy line yet cavort around in the home of your very enemy?! You speak of the Quincy line yet allow them to live and laugh around you?! They are all the same ilk, the Shinigami, I know this well…always ready to stab you when you least expect it…This isn't about dishonor or honor, it's about SURVIVAL! Your great-grandfather saw that, and saw it fit for the Quincy to take a new step in their evolution! This is about a united strength used to quash the Shinigami…the Shishōfū …Can you imagine a Quincy bestowing Quincy powers on a Shinigami or a Shinigami bestowing Shinigami powers on a Quincy?! The key truth in the creation of Shishōfū_ _depended on a supreme trust, a united step forward!" _

_Kaworu released the gasping Quincy, Ishida falling to his knees, croaking._

"_H-How?!"_

"_Using the Seele Schneider and other advanced Quincy techniques, along with the powers of the Shishōfū_ _…all such I can give to you…You see, a Quincy bow is the manifestation of the Quincy's own spirit as a weapon to protect…However, the Quincy has no further progression past that…the zanpakutō of a Shinigami is a restricted representation of the wielder's soul and the weapon's spirit that can be unrestricted step by step…"_

"_So?"_

"_So with a Shishōfū the same will apply for your bow, fool! You seem to think you know your bow's name, but look how you treated it so recklessly and lost it! A Shishōfū knows the step beyond, the power to call on your bow's name and TRULY fuse it with your own spirit…I may have restored your powers, and that pentacle-shaped scar on your chest is validation of that…but if you cannot learn the next evolution of the Quincy, you may as well be dead!"_

"May as well be dead…He trained me for weeks…barely any sleep, no rest…only power…but I discovered that power to validate my existence as a Quincy…"

Ichigo stared at him with confused eyes, though the confusion seemed deep in Ichigo, not just at Ishida's words but all the events that had shook him recently.

"What? What're you talking about now?! I don't care, you've been tricked and fooled, but I'm taking you down! I can't waste time like this when Rukia and Orihime may be in danger!"

Ishida slowly looked up, glancing at Ichigo's haggard form with eyes that suddenly seemed to lit up with some realization, as if he'd found the meaning of life suddenly out of nowhere.

"So…you'd kill me, without a thought? You already wounded me many times…"

"N-No…I don't mean that…I don't know what's wrong with your head, and I don't know what to do…but I won't just let you get in my way when Rukia and Orihime may be hurt!"

"Enough, SHINIGAMI! You fought against them too, back then, and I almost admired you…but now it is suddenly peace? After such transgressions against you, trying to kill you and Rukia, you simply turn your head and fight alongside them?"

"All that is over, alright?! I'm a Shinigami, Rukia's a Shinigami…we were fighting against Shinigami, but they were confused, conflicted, caught in the middle…now everything's-"

"Everything's alright? Maybe for you…you suffered under Soul Society's mistakes, and in the end lost nothing for it…but I lost my entire people, my grandfather, my everything…because of a Shinigami mistake…Orihime could've died because of one of those Shinigami mistakes…You expect me to just turn around and forgive and forget? To just turn around and ignore people like that Mayuri? No…you preach the ignorant joy of laughter and forgetting, but I cannot simply erase my past with a coy smile! The weight of history is far too great for that! It's the same with Kaworu…"

"Him? Enough talking…I can see that bastard's brainwashed you with bullshit! Whatever, I don't have time for this, if I have to take you down to save Rukia and Orihime…I will!"

In a flash Ichigo hurtled towards Ishida, his bankai speed blinding.

Uryū quickly pulled back his blue bow, firing a volley of spirit arrows haphazardly at Ichigo.

Kurosaki snarled, whirling around and flash stepping from them easily as if they were toys.

"Again?! Is that all you've got?! Enough of this!"

In an instant Ichigo was in front of Uryū, having dodged the arrows and moved quickly before Ishida could fire more.

That moment of weakness every archer has against a melee opponent of great speed and power.

However…not this archer.

_Kaworu smirked, facing Ishida._

"_I can no longer truly use the techniques of a Shishōfū or Quincy in a real pitched battle…but the pride of a Shishōfū is this…advancing to a new stage of power, speed, and strength…A Shishōfū's techniques are stronger, faster, more dependent on the user's spirit than simply the absorbed spiritual particles around him…And it also invests a infinite world of new techniques that only the Shinigami so far have had, with their foolish shikais and bankais…The Shishōfū is the warrior of the future…"_

_He strode forward slowly._

"_I know you may not agree with everything I say, but we are both people fated and weighed down by the insufferable weight of memory and history…and perhaps even, love? I know you want her…but that's besides the point…The point is that we are both fated for a common goal, changing this world of its injustice, be it in the people we love or the people we've lost. With your abilities now, as the new and final Shishōfū, I can free my own ascension to the Throne of God…and with that, the key to Paradise…Aizen is an example of the ultimate Shinigami, or so he thinks…he strives to reach that Throne and make his own horrid kingdom…I will preempt him and bring about a world of true happiness, where the Shinigami are a mere fantasy and the Quincy are honored and at peace…your every dream can be my creation if we combine our strengths for that common goal."_

"Toko Nemuri, Ginrei Kojaku!"

Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief and he was suddenly pushed back by a renewed and steadily rising spiritual power.

Before him stood Uryū Ishida, but both he and the bow in his hand had changed. The bow in his hand was no longer the simple blue longbow-shaped weapon Ichigo had gotten used to seeing; now it was a more concrete shining white weapon that resembled an octagon-like spider web with protruding spikes.

And Ishida himself was surrounded by a menacingly-high spiritual power that seemed to swirl all around his new bow and his body.

"W-What the hell?! What the hell is this?!"

_It's almost like…shikai? He called out a name…but I mean…he's a Quincy! What the hell is this?!_

"This is your death, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"How did you-"

"This is the power of the Shishōfū."

Suddenly, Ichigo realized Ishida had spoken from behind him.

"SHIT!"

Kurosaki barely had time to turn around as Uryū Ishida let loose the massive pulsing arrow from his bow towards Ichigo's prone body.

* * *

Anyway, that's it for this chapter.

I'm sorry if occasionally the focus is missing from some characters like Rukia, Hitsugaya, Kenpachi, Chad, or Orihime or etc…but we're in some important battles and plot movements right now…it's not like I can have every character always around and involved…

But I try my best to weave characters in…for example, who would've thought Ishida important in this arc at all? New surprises obvious indicate that he is very vital…

Anyway…Is Kaworu in deep crap?! What about Ichigo Kurosaki?

And where are Captains Hisagi, Ukitake, Kyōraku, former Captain Urahara, and the two girls Rukia and Orihime…perhaps caught up in the dust and chaos of the fights going on around them? Hopefully the original plan can go into action and they can get the hell out of the way before they're made collateral damage.

For the record, Ishida's bow in this new released state looks like this, there he is with the bow and with a Seele Schneider.  
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/2217/ishidawithswordfd6.png

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/3180/18qv5.jpg

Of course following a different path with my own arc, so who knows what its abilities will be like. That's just appearance.

I tried to describe it well. 

Interested by Komamura's abilities? He's not down and out just yet, it's clear.

I've always thought he'd gotten cheated out of much of the spotlight and been shown to be a weak character just because he had the bad luck to go against Aizen…I've always thought he could be a really cool character given the chance, and if abilities were deeper than just "SUMMON GIANT GUY".

By the way…you know what this means retroactively about the giant swordsman you saw in the Kenpachi vs. Komamura fight in the Soul Society Arc?

Ohhhh yeah baby, Kenpachi is going to have some fun in this Kaworu Arc. Hehehe.

Hope you guys stay along for the ride.

See ya next chapter.


	15. Canis Canem Edit

Here's the next chapter…

I wonder if I'm not updating TOO quickly…

Maybe I need to leave more time in between for people to catch up and review?

Opinions?

I just really like writing this, hope you like reading this…my updating times can range from super quick to super slow…who knows. 

I hope I haven't done anything too confusing or implausible with the story and characters here, enjoy it all.

Let's get this started!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc... Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

**Soul Society **

**Seireitei**

"Toko Nemuri, Ginrei Kojaku!"

Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief and he was suddenly pushed back by a renewed and steadily rising spiritual power.

Before him stood Uryū Ishida, but both he and the bow in his hand had changed. The bow in his hand was no longer the simple blue longbow-shaped weapon Ichigo had gotten used to seeing; now it was a more concrete shining white weapon that resembled an octagon-like spider web with protruding spikes.

And Ishida himself was surrounded by a menacingly-high spiritual power that seemed to swirl all around his new bow and his body.

"W-What the hell?! What the hell is this?!"

_It's almost like…shikai? He called out a name…but I mean…he's a Quincy! What the hell is this?!_

"This is your death, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"How did you-"

"This is the power of the Shishōfū."

Suddenly, Ichigo realized Ishida had spoken from behind him.

"SHIT!"

Kurosaki barely had time to turn around as Uryū Ishida let loose the massive pulsing arrow from his bow towards Ichigo's prone body.

Ichigo Kurosaki gasped out air in pain and surprise as the terrible pulsating arrow hurled itself at him, trying his best to dodge out of the way.

It struck, though not passing through him, instead dealing him a grievous wound to his right arm that made him drop Zangetsu in agony.

Ichigo Kurosaki fell to his knees, bleeding profusely, without his sword.

Uryū Ishida felt strangely empty inside…this didn't feel half as satisfying as Kaworu had made it out to be…but then again Ichigo wasn't really the only one Ishida had sought to avenge himself against.

"Just small fry…"

Ichigo Kurosaki stared up at this new changed Ishida with eyes still full of pride and determination.

"What'd you say?!"

"You heard me, Kurosaki…How does it feel to be the weaker one now, hmmm? Always upstaged, always ignored…You can't understand the pride of a Quincy!"

"Shut up already! Quincy that, Quincy this, it pisses the hell out of me!"

Ishida suddenly had Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi's face in his head, trembling at Ichigo's words and their resemblance to what Mayuri had said.

"Y-You know…I knew someone who said about the same thing…"

Ishida strode forward carefully, aiming a new spirit arrow point-blank at Ichigo's legs now.

"He's not dead…but I plan to kill him soon…as for you, I think I'll let you go crippled. Learn how it feels for the other half!"

Ichigo snarled, rolling away from the blast of the spirit arrow and clutching his Zangetsu clumsily with his left hand.

"My ass! I don't care if I can only use one arm for now, I'll still take you down!"

Ishida strode confidently towards Ichigo, smiling in a rather placid and daydreaming fashion. He stood directly in front of Ichigo again, readying another point-blank arrow.

"Oh really? And how do you intend to do that, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo gave him a wide grin.

"Getsuga tenshō!"

Ishida's eyes widened just as much as Ichigo's smile had, gasping as he barely managed to escape from the path of the massive wave of black energy.

The Quincy managed to, however the left side body seemed badly seared and hurt from where the wave of destruction had struck.

"B-Bastard!"

"Learn how it feels for the other half, Ishida…I'm tired of _your_ damned pride…"

"What in the hell was that?!"

"Getsuga tenshō…concentrated energy to tear you apart, Ishida…you're already torn up inside, whatever happened to make you into what you are now…but it's over…I don't even care if the Hollow inside me triumphs because of this…I just can't allow you and that bastard you learned this crap from to win!"

"Concentrated energy?"

"Did I stutter? How about I repeat it for you. Getsuga tenshō!"

Ishida's eyes widened as the concentrated mass of roiling black energy shot out from Ichigo's Zangetsu, however his eyes were now filled with a sudden determination.

_I…know what to do now!_

Silently, he raised his web-like bow Ginrei Kojaku, not even bothering to dodge.

_Kaworu gave Ishida a grim smile, his Captain's uniform fluttering in the wind._

"_I can no longer truly use the techniques of a Shishōfū or Quincy in a real pitched battle…but the pride of a Shishōfū is this…advancing to a new stage of power, speed, and strength…A Shishōfū's techniques are stronger, faster, more dependent on the user's spirit than simply the absorbed spiritual particles around him…And it also invests a infinite world of new techniques that only the Shinigami so far have had, with their foolish shikais and bankais…The Shishōfū is the warrior of the future…"_

_Ishida stared defiantly at him._

"_Yes…you've taught me a lot, and I understand what you speak of…but you spoke of the evolution of a Quincy, the advancement of a Quincy's bow…in the progression of a Shinigami…You gave me a part of your cursed Shinigami powers already, fool! But where is this progression to Shishōfū?! _

_Kaworu smiled._

"_You are fiery today…yet…you have yet to know your bow's true name and relation to your soul…"_

"_How…do I…"_

_Kaworu glanced warily at Ishida, shaking his head._

"_You will…simply know, boy…you will simply know. It will speak to you, Quincy."_

Ichigo's eyes widened as he watched Ishida standing still with the massive wave of energy hurtling at him.

"What?! Do you have a death wish or something?!"

Ishida clutched his chest, whispering to himself as he held his bow up like a shield towards the massive wave of black.

_I feel you, Ginrei Kojaku…you gave me your name…and power…But I realize now, your name was already mine, your power was already mine…You are no foolish zanpakutō…I do not train you, you are MY SOUL…only through advancement of my own soul can I advance my bow…and now I feel my soul burdened by the weight of history and vengeance…let this burden act as armor rather than bonds…let your chains be victorious protection against those who wish to strike you, Ishida Ginrei Kojaku…_

Ishida stood still against the wave of black and spoke new words…however they had always been inside him, he knew them by heart.

_It is not a process of vulgar foolishness such as the zanpakutō…It is my very soul that I am remembering and progressing…the honor of a Quincy I am regaining…Of course I know it by heart!_

"Ginrei Kojaku ! Mamoru Bokushi!"

Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes widened as the black wave of energy slammed into the glowing white spider-web-like bow of the Quincy and simply…disappeared into it.

"What the hell just happened?!"

"My burden is my armor, Kurosaki… Ginrei Kojaku is no mere Quincy bow; it is the bow of I, the final Shishōfū and vengeful Quincy. It is my _soul_…and it will swallow any spiritual power you throw at it. This is my evolution as a Quincy. No longer do I merely need to depend on the soul particles of my surroundings. That was too placid and foolish. This is the only technique I have to respond against brutes such as you who only see fit to throw themselves and their souls into mad frontal battles. Now die, Shinigami."

Suddenly, Uryū Ishida smiled and brought the bow to aim at Ichigo.

The arrow Ishida began to form broiled in his hands as he aimed it at Ichigo…it was black and pulsating with dark energy.

"Getsuga tenshō yajirushi!"

Ichigo's eyes widened in disbelief and utter terror as the arrow hurtled at him and then plunged terribly into his stomach.

"Not…strong…enough…again…mother…"

* * *

"SHIT!" 

Kaworu flew backwards, stumbling on the shaking earth as his face bled steadily from the shrapnel and rubble flying on the massive dragon's katana's landing.

He then noticed the dragon was no longer in front of him, instead he could feel a whoosh of air and suddenly noticed he was completely immersed in dark shadow.

"ABOVE?!"

Indeed as he looked up, all Kaworu could see was the sky falling on him, a yellow scaly sky.

"Inazuma…Bankai! Adauchi Raikiri!"

His muscles bulged and his spiritual power rose up and down drastically as his body crackled with pure reiatsu.

The knuckles gripping his changing zanpakutō seemed to smolder until it was clear that golden-white kanji were forming tattooed on each finger's knuckle spelling the phrase "VENGEANCE IS MINE" ("Fukushû Suruwa Wareniari") across both hands.

The letters gave off smoke as they were seemingly tattooed onto him with an invisible hot iron, and as his newly changed hands gripped the spear, it began to change as well.

Inazuma seemed to grow longer and thicker, far stronger and sturdier looking and it changed further, obviously no longer a simple cross spear.

The perpendicular trio of blades ending in a sort of curved trident instead much like the blade of a sai.

This new Inazuma glowed with power, as did Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai's trembling form.

Kaworu's massive spiritual power bled out all across the landscape, sending the already wounded Komamura falling backwards. However it didn't seem to bother the giant dragon Tenken, who promptly landed his massive belly flop with a great shaking of the earth.

Kaworu grimaced, his bankai speed carrying him just barely out of the radius of the giant beast, his foot almost flattened completely not to mention the rest of his body as he flash stepped out.

"No choice…I didn't want to use this so early on…but…"

Komamura stared at Kaworu mumbling to himself, shaking his head sadly.

_I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, Tenken going berserk…too much madness and damage…There's no chance of this fool defeating Tenken…I'll have to try to stifle him myself before he destroys the whole of Soul Society!_

Suddenly, Komamura's eyes widened in curiosity and pained confusion.

"Releasing first limit, _Inazuma_…"

He held the great spear Inazuma in his left hand and pressed the tip into his right palm. As if made of air, it sank straight through his palm as if his palm was an endlessly deep pool of water and then simply disappeared.

Kaworu clenched his right fist, his eyes bulging and the veins at his forehead straining with obvious difficulty as his right arm trembled.

Suddenly, the bright golden-white tattoos spelling the phrase "VENGEANCE IS MINE" ("Fukushû Suruwa Wareniari") across both hands that had grown on his knuckles with his bankai started to contort against his skin.

The golden lines began to crisscross and grow, as if the tattoo was somehow sprouting like a vine. They grew up his hand and began to snake and crisscross all around his right arm, these glowing golden lines and symbols searing into his skin as if they were being branded on or tattooed.

It all stopped at his right shoulder, and as the smoke cleared, one could see the intricate and beautiful lines and runes all around his right arm with a new surprising addition.

There seemed to be a glowing wing of electric energy sprouting out of his right shoulder, a single ethereal wing of massive spiritual presence.

Komamura couldn't even muster the strength to get off of his knees, staring at the new Kawuro with silent awe.

_Though…a man like that shouldn't be that powerful…it still isn't enough for Tenken…_

Indeed, Kaworu suddenly found Tenken's massive dragon form directly behind him, the giant sword swinging down to finally crush Kaworu once and for all. Obviously it was so massive that it probably wouldn't cut him or anything, just smash him into paste.

Komamura closed his eyes in pain at what he knew would happen. He could be a strong-willed Shinigami Captain willing to dispose of any enemies of Soul Society, but he couldn't bear to watch as the massive boom of noise landed and the wind from the impact rushed all around him.

Slowly, he opened his eyes…which promptly opened wide in disbelief.

Kaworu stood there, sweat pouring down his bulging skin and veins as his right arm glowed with power, the ethereal wing of yellow energy flashing even larger behind Kaworu's right shoulder as his right palm…pressed against a massive black wall.

_He…caught…the sword? But…that isn't…possible…_

Indeed, Kaworu's feet were digging deep into the hard rock, Tenken letting out massive angry roars of a confused dragon unwilling to budge as it pressed the giant katana harder against the force trying to stop it.

Kaworu pulsed with power, his teeth grinding each other into dust, his eyes bulging, sweat pouring down his body, his muscles straining, his entire form trembling as his pulsing arm of power tried to hold its ground against the wall of black steel pressed down against it.

Komamura shook his head sadly.

_Impressive…but in the end…futile…_

Indeed, only a few seconds later, Kaworu's eyes widened in terror and exhaustion and the sword finally ended its long massive path to the ground, smashing against the earth with a giant blast of wind and rubble.

_It's…over._

Tenken seemed to think so too, the massive beast supposedly Inazuma letting out a snarling roar of victory, its giant katana still pressed hard onto the ground.

However, with its sword lodged in a deep scar on the earth and with it victorious and Komamura looking on fatigued, neither of them noticed the small shape flying up into the air.

Komamura saw it first, staring into the sky as the tiny figure seemed to disappear and then reappear high above the massive dragon.

_Flash…stepping? KAWORU?! _

The former Captain of Fifth Division zoomed above the great beast below him, his Captain's uniform in tatters, his body caked with dust, sweat, and blood, but otherwise whole and definitely not mushy paste smashed by a giant sword.

Komamura stared up in confusion as Kaworu landed on the giant dragon's head like a small black dot in the distance upon a massive yellow landscape.

_What does he intend to do!?_

Kaworu slammed his glowing palm down onto what could be the dragon's massive forehead, his right arm still pulsating with that same power since he had announced the release of Inazuma's first seal.

"Inazuma, meet Inazuma! Surely if you are the dragon of the sky of the famed Three Dragons, you are a conduit for such power and absorb it easily!"

Kaworu's right arm began to glow and pulse with electricity, the tattoos all over his arm glimmering with power.

Komamura's eyes widened in horror as dark cloud began to pool in the sky above the dragon and Kaworu.

_He can't mean to…_

"INAZUMA! CONDUIT OF THE SKY AND ITS MIGHT! SHOW ME YOURSELF!"

A massive lightning bolt hammered down straight from the sky, pulsating with energy but only there for a brief second.

Its path had gone through the sky, flowing into Kaworu's pulsating right arm, and out the massive dragon's jaw.

_Straight…through…_

However there was no entry wound of any sort, instead the massive dragon opened its jaw and let out a gigantic cloud of smoke that hid the battlefield and nearly suffocated Komamura.

_Smells like…burnt flesh?! Tenken!_

The dragon slammed face first onto the earth with a great massive clash that shook and unsettled the current and former Shinigami Captains and two girls who had been on the outskirts of the fight.

Kaworu was nowhere to be seen, and in a few seconds, the electric yellow aura that had surrounded Komamura and his sword disappeared…and so did the massive dragon slumped upon the earth.

Kaworu stood calmly next to Komamura, who fell to his knees with terrible exhaustion and exasperation though he still stared defiantly at Kaworu.

Kaworu gripped his right arm, his body trembling as the tattoos shrank away from his arm and shoulder, descending back to the initial tattooed kanji letters at his knuckles.

The great spear Inazuma simply descended back out of his right palm in one long slide, as if his arm was vomiting it out. It clattered to the floor and returned to the shikai form of a cross spear and then the unreleased form of a small tanto knife as the cross points and spear handle simply disappeared.

Kaworu reached down with and grasped the small unassuming knife, returning it to the place it had held at his left hip.

He seemed to be panting with great exertion, his body trembling, and his right arm actually smoking but seemingly unharmed and whole.

"You…are a fool, Kaworu…just as your father was a fool for being so…stubborn…you are just as stubborn as he…you all refuse to compromise, to forget, to forgive…you only cause destruction…You are the same as he!"

Kaworu's eyes widened and he grabbed the massive fox-like Captain by the neck.

"What…did you say?"

Komamura stared defiantly at him even in this position, his eyes furiously powerful.

"You heard me, Kaworu. Even shutting me up doesn't change the truth. As I said before, 'Silence will not save you; Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai…your punishment is absolute.'"

"Hah! Punishment? You're the one who's on his knees!"

"It only appears that way on the surface, Kaworu…in truth, while I may be at your mercy, you are the one who has sacrificed the compassion and soul inside of yourself…You are on your knees."

"Enough of that bullshit! How about I turn you to dust, you son of a bitch!"

Kaworu growled, tossing Komamura forward as if he were a mere toy.

As the Shinigami Captain landed in front of him, Kaworu pointed his left arm in the Captain's direction.

"It's over, mutt. Destructive Art: 95, Lightning Genesis!"

A massive bolt of lightning hurtled straight out of Kaworu's fingers towards the prone Komamura, only to be blocked by a suddenly appearing glowing shield of red.

"_Nake_, Benihime!"

Komamura was quite unharmed, the lightning bolt dissipating against the red energy shield. It was then that Kaworu noticed with a great growing rage that now beside the wounded Komamura was Kisuke Urahara.

In one arm he cradled the still limp Orihime, in the other one hand he held his released zanpakutō, Benihime.

"What?! You dare interfere!?"

"That's about enough, Kaworu. We're taking the girls and wounded and we're leaving."

And indeed, Captain Hisagi flash stepped next to Komamura, lifting him up onto his much smaller shoulder. Next to Hisagi was an unharmed but certainly frazzled Rukia being held and supported by a quite severely injured and exhausted-looking Ichigo.

Alongside Kaworu suddenly appeared Ishida, staring knives at Ichigo though averting Rukia's worrisome and pleading eyes. He seemed as wounded as Ichigo, but less fatigued. Kaworu was pleased to see the young Quincy's bow in the initial release Shishōfū mode.

All was going according to plan.

"And…what if I don't allow you to leave?"

Kaworu stared passively at Kisuke, his eyes still dull and lifeless despite the momentous tension and emotion that had to exist between them.

"Don't involve them, Kaworu...They've got nothing to do with this, you know that...It's me you want, isn't it?!"

"Hmph, always so self-centered, Kisuke...who said it all has to be about you? I'd rather enjoy killing the lot of you...that's a nifty little trick Benihime does, I remember it well...but I rather think it'll be quite ineffective against the full chant."

Kisuke Urahara's eyes widened and he urged the group around him to move back as Kaworu smirked and began to speak monotonously with his hand outstretched towards them.

"Carriage of thunder. Life's terrible flax of sorrow. Return all to dust as it once was, and end mankind's true misery. Destructive Art: 95, Lighting Genesis, Cra-"

Suddenly, two large scimitar-like blades at his throat, and two thin blades resembling fishing javelins with a reversed prong-blade on each dull end were also pointed at his abdomen.

Four blades. Kaworu didn't move at all except for his eyes glancing at the situation, his arm still raised and pointed at Komamura.

In front of Kaworu crouched Captain Jūshirō Ukitake of the 13th Division with his fishing javelin-like twin zanpakutō pointed at Kaworu's

Directly behind Kaworu was Captain Shunsui Kyōraku of the 8th Division with his large scimitar or falchion-like twin zanpakutō both crossed and pointed dangerously right at Kaworu's neck.

Ukitake held his position, turning just his head to glance at Kisuke Urahara, Hisagi, Rukia, Orihime, Ichigo and Komamura.

"We'll take care of him!

Rukia stared at Ukitake with evident worry and a suddenly determined face.

"Captain Ukitake, I can't just leave you here!"

Urahara gave a wry grin.

"Yep, she's right…Why not take some help for once?"

Shunsui pouted playfully, though his blades were still at Kaworu's neck.

"Leave him here? Not take help? What am I, chopped liver? I'm here as well, you know!"

Ukitake nodded, staring hard at Kisuke and the rest of the group though his eyes were still kind as always.

"Indeed…have you forgotten the power of the two great apprentices of Yamamoto? Don't worry about _us_! You guys would only complicate things."

He spoke the boast in a playful sense, but the rest of the group understood. Even Urahara's usually unreadable face was serious, Kisuke nodding firmly.

Kisuke quickly made sure he had a grip on Orihime, Hisagi cradling Komamura's bulk, and Rukia giving a delicate shoulder to Ichigo's heavily wounded but able-to-move form.

Ichigo certainly seemed the worse of the lot, with a few minor wounds and then a major bleeding wound that seemed fresh and to his stomach.

"Right! Now go!"

In an instant the entire group flash stepped away, nearly in unison, disappearing in swirls of dusty wind.

Kaworu gave a foul smirk, having remained silent and unmoving with the four zanpakutōs pointed all over his body.

"Hmph…Did you have to send them away? How am I supposed to enjoy myself?"

The two Shinigami Captains were no longer fun and games, even Kyōraku's face was serious and stoic as he replied.

"They could've died or been injured…We've been ordered to end this personally by old man Yamamoto himself."

Kaworu was silent at Shunsui's words, suddenly noticing with a glance of his eyes to the right about ten feet away from Ukitake that Ishida had remained.

The Quincy seemed to be in the act of aiming his bow at Jūshirō's back though his hands were unsteady and unsure, probably on account of the massive spiritual powers he sensed latent in these two extremely skilled Shinigami Captains around Kaworu.

Kaworu grimaced, shouting in the Quincy's direction.

"What're you still doing here? You know what to do, Ishida! Give chase! Make sure they don't get away!"

"But-"

"But what? What could you hope to do in this battle? Get lost!"

Ishida stared firmly at Kaworu, as if offended, but then simply nodded, flash stepping away and disappearing.

Kaworu grimaced, turning back to stare out ahead in space instead of facing either Shinigami who had surrounded him.

Kaworu nodded slowly, chuckling coarsely.

"The two master apprentices of my father turned into lapdogs, is it? I seemed to remember you two had some free will and skill back in the day, it's a pity you're nothing but cheap henchmen now…"

Ukitake slowly shook his head.

"Enough of your words, Kaworu…It was indeed unfortunate what happened to you, but it was unavoidable…You were a tragedy of the past, a sacrifice, and you should've remained so. I sympathize, believe me, but you are causing much too much strife and pain…It pains me to say this but sometimes a society must take terrible and often evil actions to survive…The was no choice but for Soul Society to respond in such a way to your treason…"

"Hah…the words of a pitiful old man…And what of you, Shunsui?"

Shunsui seemed deep in thought.

"I…realize, your father did horrible things, we know him as well as you did, Kaworu…But the past is simply the past. You were wronged and erased from the annals of time, bleached away, but you have no right to come as some terrible ghost of history and wreak destruction. Centuries have passed since your betrayal, men and women were born and died, and the young people and new Shinigami of this society deserve a chance to live in a peaceful world."

Ukitake nodded, speaking up, all the while mind you the two Shinigami Captains and Kaworu were all still in the same position they had been since Ukitake and Kyōraku had appeared with zanpakutōs bared.

"If only there was a way for you to disregard your hate…to seek penance and understanding? A being driven by hate and vengeance cannot survive for long, either it will destroy itself or be struck down by outside forces. Your father has grown very old, perhaps soon he will step down as Chief Captain…centuries have passed, society has changed. You must learn to change as well, to forgive, to forget, to change for the better…you have to discard the madness that still claws at your feet, Kaworu. What intent did you have returning here? Serving as Aizen's pawn? Killing your former best friend and lover? Destroying Soul Society?"

Kaworu gave a sly grin.

"The Throne of God, of course…Destruction is only secondary, necessary…I will possess the key of the King of Soul Society and then take the Throne of God…it is a simple matter to accomplish, once I kill every single one of you and use the fool Quincy's power…"

"The Throne of God?! Like Aizen?! Are you insane?"

"No…call it a favor…You lot would probably lose to Aizen anyway, and then have his bitter and pompous foolishness on the Throne of God, changing and manipulating existence into some hellish madness with him at the top…On the contrary, I only seek to create an existence where I was not wronged, where pain simply does not exist...a new more preferable reality under my guidance."

"Madness! That isn't reality! That isn't just, to speak of such blasphemous things, to wish to bend reality to your preference…That is foolishness, disgustingly so!"

"Hmph…call it what you will, simply seek not to stop me. It would be futile."

Jūshirō's face was suddenly clouded in disgust and shock, Shunsui looking away in sorrowful resignation.

"You are mad, Kaworu! You have gone mad! You have fallen as low as your former apprentice out there in Hueco Mundo! And even worse, for he is a cold being who lusts only for power…but you, you were a lively beautiful Shinigami with a big heart that encompassed all…How can you hold such thoughts and nightmarish aspirations? Such goals go against the grain of existence itself…"

"Indeed, you have fallen greatly Kaworu…too great to be recovered, I believe…"

"And I as well…"

"So…we have…"

"No choice…we are sorry, former Captain of Fifth Division Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai, first and only son of Chief Captain of Soul Society and First Division, General Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai…we have made up our minds. You must be put to death…"

Kaworu laughed scornfully, suddenly disappearing from within the two Shinigami Captain's eyes and blades, flashing a few feet away freely.

"Judge and jury, huh? Nothing's changed…nothing at all…you speak of change and lost history, but I have the distinct feeling that everything repeats itself, that you're all as foul as you've ever been…this entire Soul Society! It needs _real_ change, and I am the one who will give it that…change existence itself in my own images and wishes!"

Kaworu smirked at their surprised eyes, certainly surprised he had escaped so easily from their clutches.

"Hmph, certainly you're not amazed by _that_ type of speed, are you? Pitiful! Have you forgotten my power, imbeciles? Kowasu, _Inazuma_!"

He drew the small tantō-like zanpakutō from his hip as he spoke, sputtering angrily.

The tantō became a long cross spear suddenly, the blade of the tantō serving as the main blade of the spear though a bit elongated, while two other blades had formed in the sides as well as a long thick wooden pole handle, to form a cross spear. It was clear his spiritual power was rising steadily.

Kaworu gave a confident smirk.

Suddenly Kaworu's eyes widened in surprise. The two Shinigami Captains were no longer in front of him, instead he could distinctly feel them standing behind him.

He could also feel the four slashes that had been dealt deep into his chest on either side, as if his torso had grown comical red eyebrows.

They were not fatal, but the blood flowed steadily out of them and stained his Captain's uniform, the pain pulsating heavily.

Kaworu turned on unsteady feet to stare with increasingly angered eyes at the two Shinigami Captains standing there with their twin zanpakutōs stained with his blood.

Ukitake an unreadable look as Shunsui stood alongside him.

"It seems _you_ have forgotten the power of the two apprentices, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai."

Both men closed their eyes and suddenly from both of them there arose a blast of massive spiritual power that shook the earth, sending Kaworu flying backwards like a mere leaf in the merciless wind.

* * *

Hope you're enjoying everything so far…

Some crazy stuff is going down…

As I said before, I'm sorry if occasionally the focus is missing from some characters like Rukia, Hitsugaya, Kenpachi, Chad, or Orihime or etc…but we're in some important battles and plot movements right now…it's not like I can have every character always around and involved…

Once this main important battle finishes, you'll find out what's going on around the rest of Soul Society…

Looks like Kaworu's about to get owned though, you definitely can't underestimate Ukitake and Kyōraku…fighting them both at once means certain death…They've got to be beyond any opponent Kaworu has fought before, other than his father whom he seemingly lost against...This time Kaworu isn't even the senior and most experienced Shinigami, he's fighting _his _elders

This could get ugly.

Hope you guys stay along for the ride.

See ya next chapter.


	16. Respice Finem

Sorry if I took a long time with this update, but a combination of low morale, low reviews, and me being busy with a lot of crap in the outside world sort of delayed it.

Anyway, I have my mind overflowing with great plans for this fanfic, keep reading and reviewing and I'll keep writing, because I definitely love writing this story.

Let's get this started!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc... Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

**Soul Society **

**Seireitei**

Kaworu gave a confident smirk.

Suddenly Kaworu's eyes widened in surprise. The two Shinigami Captains were no longer in front of him, instead he could distinctly feel them standing behind him.

He could also feel the four slashes that had been dealt deep into his chest on either side, as if his torso had grown comical red eyebrows.

They were not fatal, but the blood flowed steadily out of them and stained his Captain's uniform, the pain pulsating heavily.

Kaworu turned on unsteady feet to stare with increasingly angered eyes at the two Shinigami Captains standing there with their twin zanpakutōs stained with his blood.

Ukitake an unreadable look as Shunsui stood alongside him.

"It seems _you_ have forgotten the power of the two apprentices, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai."

Both men closed their eyes and suddenly from both of them there arose a blast of massive spiritual power that shook the earth, sending Kaworu flying backwards like a mere leaf in the merciless wind.

Kaworu's eyes centered fiercely on the pair below him, shaking his head dismissively.

"Strong…I guess I have no choice but to take this seriously…I hope that damned Quincy is doing his duty at the very least…"

He quickly grasped his spear with both hands, staring down at the two Shinigami Captains moving quickly below him.

"Inazuma…Bankai! Adauchi Raikiri!"

His muscles bulged and his spiritual power rose up and down drastically as his body crackled with pure reiatsu.

The knuckles gripping his changing zanpakutō seemed to smolder until it was clear that golden-white kanji were forming tattooed on each finger's knuckle spelling the phrase "VENGEANCE IS MINE" ("Fukushû Suruwa Wareniari") across both hands.

The letters gave off smoke as they were seemingly tattooed onto him with an invisible hot iron, and as his newly changed hands gripped the spear, it began to change as well.

Inazuma seemed to grow longer and thicker, far stronger and sturdier looking and it changed further, obviously no longer a simple cross spear.

The perpendicular trio of blades ending in a sort of curved trident instead much like the blade of a sai.

This new Inazuma glowed with power, as did Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai's trembling form.

Kaworu's massive spiritual power bled out all across the landscape to clash with Kyōraku and Ukitake's spiritual powers. The Shinigami Captains were momentarily impressed as Kaworu's spiritual presence managed to actually cancel out both their own spiritual powers, sending a massive wind crashing down onto the battlefield.

As the dust cleared, Kaworu felt wind rushing all around him and he realized that both Captains were still moving at speeds beyond his own.

He quickly swung Inazuma in a wide arc around himself, catching Ukitake's twin strikes. He also managed to catch Kyōraku's two blades…except he caught them in his side, rather than on his spear.

Kaworu spat a long flow of blood, feeling this wound quite severe and adding to the many they had already been giving him.

Quickly Kaworu flash stepped forward, deciding his best bet was to separate the two fools as quickly as possible with sudden bursts of speed and power. He needed to end this decisively before their ganging up on him took its toll.

In a sudden burst of speed he found himself directly crouched in front of a quite surprised Jūshirō Ukitake, landing a powerful roundhouse kick in the white-haired Captain's face that sent him flying backwards a good fifty feet.

_Perfect! I just need some space!_

Quickly he whirled Inazuma in a wide arc around himself just in time to intuitively catch Kyōraku's twin strikes with the pole of his spear, noticing with murderous glee the surprised look on Shunsui's face.

Quickly he pushed Kyōraku back and thrust the trident-like points of his spear forward to skewer the Shinigami Captain…only to find himself skewered from behind.

One of Ukitake's fishing-javelin-like zanpakutō was protruding out of his right shoulder and was firmly caught on him, as if he were some tuna to be lanced.

He glanced behind him in enraged pain and surprise to see Ukitake's slightly bemused face, the sickly white-haired Captain's body frozen in the pose of a throw.

Kaworu noticed then that the cord connecting the zanpakutō had obviously extended, Ukitake simply using it like a chained weapon with one hand on one of the blades and the cord, sending the second blade hurtling across the battlefield through Kaworu's shoulder.

Kaworu grunted, trying to yank the zanpakutō, only to find himself unable to because of the odd shape it had, one of the protruding blades that formed it being caught inside his skin like a fishing hook.

Suddenly the cord wrapped all him in an instant, the blade not plunged in his skin slamming into the dirt next to him as the cord between the two blades wrapped around him until it pinned his arms to his sides and caught his legs together.

In an instant, the proud and powerful Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai was sent flopping like a fish onto the ground, helpless and hogtied.

Ukitake now loomed above him, smiling sadly while Shunsui also stood over his helpless body with a slight smirk.

"That's called Ukitake's Tuna-Kabob Special…How'd ya like it?"

_Are they toying with me?! Those bastards! _

Ukitake stared firmly at him as Shunsui laughed and joked, staring at Kaworu silently as an older admonishing brother or father would.

"Now that I have your attention, Kaworu…You didn't quite let me finish what I wanted to say previously…It is quite unfortunate what you have become, but you must understand this…In life sometimes a man must make terrible choices and sacrifices to further the lives of his world or life. We all stand atop large mountains of guilt and corpses; it is why we are still here. We all must shoulder that burden of blood upon our hands, because we cannot ignore the urge to survive or further on our existences. Your father had no choice; given the circumstances…what was he to do, allow the Quincy to survive? It was not the fact that they unbalanced the spiritual world, you know…that was just foolishness; I'm sure you and any Shinigami Captains then realized that. It is because of their abilities to so easily focus spiritual power, such an ability could potentially open Heaven's Gate and give access to the Throne of God, let alone disintegrate Soul Society itself."

Ukitake paused, glancing down at Kaworu's bonded and silent form, then continuing.

"Yes, it was not the crimes of the Quincy that made their execution so absolutely vital, it was their _potential_ power. You discovered it yourself with that so-called Shinigami/Quincy hybrid, and certainly you intend to use it to destroy existence as we know it. It is that sort of potential that is the reason behind slaying the Quincy. As I said, we all stand atop large mountains of guilt and corpses; it is why we are still here…we are driven on, and we walk upon the skeletons of those we neglected or even directly hurt to survive. You are no different, and it will be no different if we kill you to save Soul Society. You know, you never asked me what bodies Shunsui and I crawled up on…I understand what you feel about your father, I understand it completely…"

"I don't care! I'll kill you if I have to, but rightfully so…my-"

"Yes…your vengeance, just another emotion that drives on your existence, justifying the killing and sacrifice of others to continue on. I know you may not care, but what else are we going to discuss with you tied up like that until reinforcements arrive to carry you away?"

Ukitake suddenly looked away and seemingly grew quite distant, though he continued speaking. Shunsui for once seemed quite silent and brooding.

"The aftermath was pure hell; the aftermath of the Shinigami Wars that helped bring Soul Society together into one strong cohesive united front…Bringing together the common masses of Rukongai and the high noble families who inhabited Seireitei, uniting noble lineages and Shinigami family clans and bloodlines. It was no easy feat. Centuries of warfare between Shinigami, for a year every horseman rode until thousands upon thousands of Shinigami were slain. Madness, chaos, and of course war…Shinigami against Shinigami, all striving for dominance…Try to imagine it."

Kaworu gave a dour smirk.

"Oh, I can imagine Shinigami against Shinigami quite well...more than imagine, it's my mission."

Ukitake continued on as if intending to rudely ignoring him.

"It was hard to be young back then, but Shunsui and I were…we were babies when the final years of the Shinigami Wars began to calm down under the controlling grip of your father. The most dominant General and Shinigami, he managed to bring peace and order and either unite or indeed destroy the loose Shinigami clans. Rogue families were everywhere back them Shunsui's noble Kyōraku clan was one of them…my family, the Ukitake were a poor band of rebel Shinigami…two loose pieces that prevented the unity of Soul Society. The Kyōraku family refused to associate with the non-noble masses who they regarded as sub-human, and the Ukitake family refused to give up its stranglehold of power in the poor districts of Rukongai...War broke loose once more, and your father managed to bring Rukongai and the nobles of Kyōraku to their knees in subservience. However, your father required…assurances. The baby sons of each family were given to him as ransom, to be kept to make sure the two families no longer waged mad war."

Kaworu's eyes widened as Ukitake continued.

"We were raised as his sons, you know…before he decided to marry a noblewoman from a high-ranking family so he could gain the sufficient respect among the noble families to reign as chief ruler of Soul Society beneath the King and God and holder of the King's Key. Before that noblewoman bore you and died in the process, before all that we were his sons in the truest sense. He trained us in war, in battle, in wisdom, in everything my dear Kaworu. And soon we became young men, confident and full of life and laughter as the old man's prized apprentices when he established his definitive first Shinigami Academy to bring a final lasting order to the Shinigami."

Ukitake paused, as if to glance at Shunsui, who seemed stoic at the moment, and then continued.

"In those later years, the rebel clans rose once more, a last gasp you could say. The Kyōraku, the Itachi, the Ukitake, the Ikari, oh nearly all the clans from commoners to nobles, all except the Kuchiki of course. And with his own genius and power along with the assistance of the highly-esteemed Kuchiki Clan, your father crushed the uprising once and for all. Now see this, we had no idea of our origins, he had never told us…As I said, we had been given up as mere babes! Order and law dictated your father kill us, as we were the assurances, the ransom, the protection that had been given up, with the implication that we would be hurt if our families did not swear devotion. However, Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai spared our lives, and instead opted to kill every single member of the Ukitake and Kyōraku family. Men, women, children, that means brothers, sisters, father, mother, uncle, grandfather, cousins…you understand don't you?! Their lives were sacrificed, traded to support ours…we treaded upon their bones to live on, even if we had no idea of the whole ordeal. We lived on, oblivious, enjoying life and laughter, healthy and vibrant, strong and firm…we only found out about our histories and the fates of our families far later, through old records that Urahara dug up…Kaworu, we lived to tell this story by taking the lives of our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, our families."

Kaworu was staring up at the Shinigami Captain pair with widened eyes as Ukitake continued.

"So yeah, it was simple…Their lives had been traded for ours. It's not that we didn't feel guilty…I even contemplated suicide…Shunsui was driven to a rage and even wanted to attack the old man, though I stopped him before he could…But…I started to think about it this way….What the hell were we all doing in that situation anyway? The chaos and madness of civil strife. It was something to go on, for both of us, we could atone by making sure Soul Society was never harmed or brought into a state of strife or madness again that would justify such atrocity…And despite his faults, your father is the central pillar that holds up that Soul Society we wish to protect from harm. Slowly however, we began to enjoy our lives, to enjoy our duty and slowly forget. It was then I was stricken by this disease, and we began to wonder if we deserved such laughter and forgetfulness when we killed our own families…"

Kaworu snorted.

"What? Is that it?!"

"It's the same with Shunsui…"

"You didn't kill them! _He _did it! Why not seek- "

"Seek vengeance like you? Kill and hate and destroy? That cheap lust of bloodshed and heated vengeance…An excuse…Neither of us deserves to be happy, and…neither do you Kaworu."

"What do you mean?! I'm not the same as you scum! My father killed them all, and he ordered my assassination!"

"And you, faced with the prospect of the Quincy Wars approaching, could only find the option of open insurrection against the Chief Captain of Soul Society? Have you ever heard of subtlety? Delicacy? There could have been other paths to contemplate! If you had tried to find some way to at least rescue or hide Quincy or convince your father…you could've at least tried to save as many as you could instead of raising your spear against your father! You could've saved more if you'd tried! The Quincy died, and you survived…Just like how we survived by trading the lives of our family's…And now you rage and fight your fellow Shinigami. That Kurosaki, he could be dead, same with Komamura, or Soifon…what did they ever do to you? You have their lives and the lives of the Quincy. You have them now. You've still got flesh and blood because you took the lives of others and because you allowed the death of others…So are you going to live that life so foolishly? So full of vengeance and destruction? Or are you going to atone and try to save as many possible lives around you as your zanpakutō allows, as we try?"

The only response to Ukitake's words was an eerie silence, Kaworu staring up coldly at the two Shinigami around him.

Suddenly Kaworu took in a suddenly sharp breath, his body dancing with what looked like electric bolts as he let out a rage-filled scream.

"Bullshit! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

Kaworu's muscles bulged and he spun the cords tied all around him off of his body in one strong motion and burst of spiritual pressure that nearly threw the two Shinigami Captains standing above him on their asses.

They silently regrouped, and in an instant as Kaworu picked up his spear, they were on him again.

Kaworu grunted angrily, dodging the twin slashes of Shunsui Kyōraku to the side only to have Jūshirō Ukitake appear directly in front of him.

"Damn you!"

Quickly he thrust his spear forward, only to have Ukitake bring his twin blades up and wrap the cord connecting his zanpakutōs around the firm pole, catching it tightly in place inches from his face.

Ukitake grunted angrily as he shoved Kaworu's fierce form backwards towards Shunsui's awaiting blades.

Kaworu just barely managed to duck away from the twin zanpakutō of Kyōraku, stumbling and rolling away with blood dripping from the many wounds of his body as Ukitake spoke in a firm but sorrowful voice.

"We've no choice but to take care of you, you know, Kaworu…"

Shunsui nodded, flash stepping alongside Ukitake.

"Indeed, while we sympathized with you, now that we know your intentions you cannot be allowed to live any longer. The men and women of Soul Society will survive by the taking of your life."

"There's a reason we were called the Immortal Brothers. We may not be kin, but our souls are bonded together intractably by the sacrifices that helped bring us into being and keep alive."

"While at least one of us stands, the other will not fail, the other will not be killed. We are the long-forgotten babies given to your father; we are borne on seas of our own family's blood and breathe in the tears of our dead mother's in the mist-filled air. While you may speak of Dragons, we are the air and sea that surrounds you. Your scaly familiars have no weight here."

Kaworu snorted, gripping his fist hard and wiping the blood from his lips.

"Hmph…Inazuma takes offense at that, you know…I'll have to make both of you fall together then. Releasing first limit, _Inazuma_…"

He held the great spear Inazuma in his left hand and pressed the tip into his right palm. As if made of air, it sank straight through his palm as if his palm was an endlessly deep pool of water and then simply disappeared.

Kaworu clenched his right fist, his eyes bulging and the veins at his forehead straining with obvious difficulty as his right arm trembled.

Suddenly, the bright golden-white tattoos spelling the phrase "VENGEANCE IS MINE" ("Fukushû Suruwa Wareniari") across both hands that had grown on his knuckles with his bankai started to contort against his skin.

The golden lines began to crisscross and grow, as if the tattoo was somehow sprouting like a vine. They grew up his hand and began to snake and crisscross all around his right arm, these glowing golden lines and symbols searing into his skin as if they were being branded on or tattooed.

It all stopped at his right shoulder, and as the smoke cleared, one could see the intricate and beautiful lines and runes all around his right arm with a new surprising addition.

There seemed to be a glowing wing of electric energy sprouting out of his right shoulder, a single ethereal wing of massive spiritual presence.

Captains Jūshirō Ukitake and Shunsui Kyōraku stared firmly at Kaworu's glowing body, deciding not to waste time any longer.

Ukitake grasped his twin zanpakutō firmly, the long cord in between the blades shimmering and glowing with a strange blue spiritual force as the sickly Captain spoke a fierce mantra.

"_Sōgyo no Kotowari…Shironami Bakuryūha…Bankai…"_

The cord suspended between the two blades Ukitake held began to swell and shiver, suddenly the blue aura simply overwhelming it into an ethereal strand of glowing swirling blue which covered both the cord and the blades.

In an instant everything in Ukitake's hands became a torrent of fierce blue water with splashed out and began to swirl all around the Captain.

The torrents and wave after wave of water seemingly materialized out of his outstretched hands, descending all around the shattered battlefield like a terrible tempest.

Kaworu's eyes widened in surprise bordering at fear as he quickly leapt up and over the massive waves which had now submerged the battlefield below him in a small sea.

He seemed comfortable floating above them inertly, though he gazed down baffled at the fact that Ukitake himself had seemingly been submerged in the small body of water he had created.

This momentary glance turned his attention away from the twin zanpakutō whistling through the air at his head, held by Shunsui Kyōraku whirling and spinning in the air as he landed the centrifugal-powered slash.

Kaworu's eyes widened as he barely dodged the possibly decapitating blow, the two blades so sharp that they simply left two small cuts on his cheek instead of cleaving it apart.

However their force still sent him splashing haphazardly into the water below him, his electrical wing of energy sizzling in the waves as Kaworu struggling to leap out.

Shunsui Kyōraku stared down at him, a soft wind sending the Captain's straw hat floating off into the air as Captain Kyōraku gripped both his own zanpakutō and began speaking a calmly enunciated mantra.

He spoke it in a conversational tone, almost lazily, but the fierceness in his eyes could not be mistaken.

"_Katen Kyōkotsu…Kamigura Kaze …Bankai…"_

The instant those words left his mouth, the two blades in his hands simply shimmered into what looked like glowing red flower petals that were blown into nothingness by a strong wind.

Shunsui stared down defiantly at Kaworu, who had quickly burst out of the water only to float a bit above it and glare up at Shunsui.

"Hmph! So one drowns himself and the other destroys his weapon? A wise choice. Given up already?"

Shunsui shook his head in what seemed almost like sorrow, and suddenly Kaworu found himself totally paralyzed and unable to move a muscle. He couldn't even suck in a breath, he felt as if he'd been stuck in a vat of concrete or something, but he was out there floating seemingly safely with nothing touching him.

All Kaworu found himself able to do was move his eyes low to glance at the water below him which had suddenly sent out two giant fists of roaring liquid that were now hurtling up and converging on his frozen and floating form as if the sea itself was applauding.

Captain Shunsui Kyōraku sighed, reaching his hand out lazily and motioning towards his distant straw hat, which floated back towards him guided by a slow and steady wind.

It settled atop his head with a firm plop.

"As I said, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai, we are the air and sea that surrounds you."

* * *

The group of retreating Shinigami and outsiders had been moving quickly for a good amount of time when Kisuke Urahara stopped, his arm helping Orihime's weak form while Captain Hisagi tried his best to carry the massive bulk of Komamura and Rukia assisted Ichigo's wounded form. 

Urahara glanced at the group and sighed, scratching his head in an almost lazy motion as he spoke in a matter-of-fact fashion.

"Ishida's still trailing us you know…"

Orihime looked frantically at Urahara, her eyes full of worry and sadness that seemed mirrored except far firmer in Rukia as well.

"L-Let me go see Ishida…I don't know what's wrong with him, but I know he'd never hurt me or Rukia…"

Ichigo's eyes were wild as he almost shoved Orihime away in his exasperated pain and clearly worried anger.

"No! Inoue! He's too far gone! He'll kill anything that stands in his way! Don't you trust the wounds on my damned body? I have to go take care of this once and for all!"

Rukia reached out to touch Ichigo's trembling shoulders but he flinched from her touch, still staring at Orihime.

Urahara watched on with stoic calmness, shaking his head.

"Tsk, tsk…Neither option seems viable. It seems like we'll have no choice but to stop before we reach the main way to the infirmaries…"

"No."

The entire group turned in surprise at Captain Hisagi's voice. He had been silent the entire time, helping support the now unconscious Komamura.

Urahara raised his eyebrows almost comically and tipped his hat to Hisagi.

"No? What do you mean?"

Hisagi turned firmly to the two girls, nodding to them, rudely ignoring Urahara.

"Can you two walk?"

Orihime said "Yes" while Rukia simply nodded silently.

"Then…"

Hisagi stopped speaking and the entire group followed his gaze in the distance. They could feel it, Ishida was growing closer.

Captain Shūhei Hisagi continued, turning back to the girls.

"Then…help Urahara and take both Kurosaki and Captain Komamura back to the infirmary…They're both in serious shape, and any delay could be terrible. I'll stay behind and take care of this."

Komamura let out a grunt as he lay at Hisagi's feet where the new Captain had put him down to speak. He seemed to be slowly coming back to consciousness but still severely wounded and unable to move easily.

"Hisagi…you…don't…"

"Shh, Captain…don't forget the vow we made to return Kaname…"

"You can't…"

Captain Shūhei Hisagi gave him a firm smile and turned away, indicating to Urahara that he wanted Kisuke and the girls to take Ichigo and Komamura out of the area immediately.

And indeed, in a few seconds they were gone, flashing through the rooftops of Seireitei.

Hisagi watched them and then concentrated on the trail of dust they left, noticing a white flash hurtling after them.

In an instant he flash stepped before the white presence, halting Uryū Ishida before he could pursue the group any longer.

Ishida stared silently at Hisagi, his white robes fluttering about in the dusty wind as he adjusted his spectacles.

"You. What do you want?"

"I won't let you advance any further, Quincy."

Ishida smirked, raising his white spider-web like bow and glowing with a burning white spiritual presence that shook the air around him.

"Then perhaps I should introduce you to Ginrei Kojaku."

Hisagi stared hard at him, his expression stoic and mature despite the tattoos on his face and body.

"That _would_ be polite. In turn if we're beginning introductions, I'd like to introduce you to my brother…"

Hisagi paused, pulling out the simple katana at his hip and then continuing.

"_Hikou_, Yakedo Shisō na Koi_!"  
_

Ishida's eyes widened in surprise as he felt Captain Shūhei Hisagi explode with a swirling spiritual power that was at least strong enough to equal his own.

Perhaps even greater...

* * *

Captain Sajin Komamura sighed wistfully as Urahara flash stepped with him in tow, a comical sight for such a giant fox-like creature to be carried by the far more diminutive Urahara in sandals and all. 

Urahara glanced at him as they continued quickly moving forward, Orihime and Rukia also advancing as best as they could with the increasingly fatigued Ichigo Kurosaki.

"What is it, Komamura?"

"It's…been a while since I've seen Shūhei Hisagi fight…"

"Worried he might lose?"

"I'm worried he might win and destroy Seireitei with him…"

"Huh?"

* * *

Hope that chapter didn't seem too short or rushed, but I ended it specifically at those points for plot-related reasons. 

Well, we had some Ukitake/ Kyōraku backstory, hope it wasn't too baffling for you guys or lamely-done…

Their fight with Kaworu seems to be warming up definitely…Let's see if their boasts are right and what their bankais are really made of…

And uh oh, what's this about Hisagi? Expect a major spotlight on him and even a backstory and some cool shit. He's been snubbed in the series…

That's what you should expect from this fanfic, I give love to all the characters in the series…so if you're a fan of someone who hasn't gotten much screen time just be patient, I promise. Everyone gets their time in the spotlight. 

Hope you guys stay along for the ride.

See ya next chapter.


	17. Fiat Voluntas Dei

Hope these chapters aren't too short, I begin and end them at strategic points for the story…

For those worrying about the fighting or not seeing their favorite characters around, as I've always said, worry not, all will receive time in the spotlight. Enjoy reading!  
Let's get this started!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc... Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

**Soul Society **

**Seireitei**

Kaworu gasped for air as he felt himself submerged and slammed about like a toy in the two giant fists of water that had converged on him, smashing him hard as if he were a fly.

All his lungs took in were water as the falling fist-shaped waves brought him down hard into the sea below.

His last sight of the open air was Shunsui's smirking face high above, and then simply darkness, murky salt water burning his lungs and eyes.

He paddled and sent his spiritual pressure flying in all directions to no avail, finding it near impossible to tread through the wild and unyielding sea he was now submerged in.

Slowly he found himself…tired…light...head…

"_My head…yowch."_

_Yoruichi smiled at him, wrapping her arms lovingly around Kaworu as she gave him a soft kiss on the forehead.  
"Sparring with your father again? He's a rough teacher…I don't know how you can stand it…I'm lucky. Ukitake's a nice guy…"_

_Kaworu gave her a gentle reassuring grin that seemed overflowing with human warmth._

"_I do it for you, Yoruichi…one day I think he intends me to take his place…I guess he wants to hammer the strength into me, no matter what it takes…It's so I can protect the land that I love, and the woman…that…I…love…"_

_He punctuated those final three words with snaking caresses gentle up Yoruichi's soft neck._

_NOT THIS SHUT UP SHUT UP NOT THIS_

Kaworu let out a terrible scream as he emerged from those fuzzy recollections, and he found all he could intake was water. So he had nearly succumbed, and it seemed it wouldn't be long before he drowned.

Hell, he could even hear that idiot Ukitake's voice in his head.

"_Kaworu…give up…your body can't take such water pressure…I could blast the skin from your bones now…but I want you to go painlessly…breathe deep and take in my cold dark sea…"_

Suddenly his eyes widened even through the fuzzy darkness threatening to overtake him. This was no mere fantasy! Ukitake was right there in front of him, seemingly comfortable and fine beneath the dark waters of the sea, staring sadly at Kaworu's limp body.

_NOT THIS NOT THIS_

Suddenly Ukitake's eyes widened in surprise and he was sent flying backwards into the cushioning water around him.

He shook his head in disappointment.

Kaworu was gone.

* * *

Ishida stared silently at Hisagi, his white robes fluttering about in the dusty wind as he adjusted his spectacles.

"You. What do you want?"

"I won't let you advance any further, Quincy."

Ishida smirked, raising his white spider-web like bow and glowing with a burning white spiritual presence that shook the air around him.

"Then perhaps I should introduce you to Ginrei Kojaku."

Hisagi stared hard at him, his expression stoic and mature despite the tattoos on his face and body.

"That _would_ be polite. In turn if we're beginning introductions, I'd like to introduce you to my brother…"

Hisagi paused, pulling out the simple katana at his hip and then continuing.

"_Hikou_, Yakedo Shisō na Koi_!"_

Ishida's eyes widened in surprise as he felt Captain Shūhei Hisagi explode with a swirling spiritual power that was at least strong enough to equal his own.

Perhaps even greater...

Uryū Ishida floated back cautiously as he slowly studied the Shinigami Captain in front of him and the change that had occurred when Hisagi had called out those special words.

He had held his katana in both hands as he had spoken those words, one hand on the hilt and the other on the blade itself. The left hand which held the blade actually closed hard enough on it that blood began to spiral down the blade all along it.

The blood had spread and spiraled all across the blade until it seemingly enveloped it, as if the sword had become a dark crimson.

Slowly it also spread around Hisagi's hands until it was all a mass blob of blood floating from Hisagi's wrists, as if he had slit his wrists.

Ishida watched on in perturbed disgust. He had never been a fan of spilt blood, his Quincy arrows were always quite precise and he even felt disgusted when he cut himself with one of his sewing needles.

Slowly the blood which had been spiraling and floating all around Hisagi began to concentrate and solidify in the form of two blood-red blades each connected to one of Shūhei Hisagi's arms like bracelets. They had quite an odd ornamental design, like small short swords connected to black metal choker bracelets much like the one around Hisagi's neck, except these held the swords to the underside of Hisagi's wrists and palms.

He lifted his arms and pointed them in Ishida's direction, in turn aiming the blades connected to the wrist chokers, of course.

"I hesitate to fight…always, unless it is completely necessary and unavoidable…but it seems you refuse to stop your pursuit and I have no choice…Ichigo told me your bow there has some energy-absorption properties…Cheap…Reminds me of Yumichika…I was fine with him winning, didn't want to resort to shikai and I lost fair and square…but now I have no choice but to release the blood-soaked curse of my brother and my zanpakutō…consider yourself forgiven for your transgressions, for you shall soon be dead…"

* * *

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai burst out from that terrible dark sea, gasping for air as he floated blindly above the water into the open sun again. His lungs and body felt like hell, and he knew he had nearly died…

_Nearly drowned…that bastard._

His eyes slowly came into focus and he could see that Shunsui was floating lazily above, still not taking action.

Kaworu rasped out a taunt from his weakened lungs.

"What're you doing up there, you bastard!? Think you can just take your time one on one? You'd better team up before I rip your comrade apart, you lazy bum!"

Shunsui only smiled wryly, pointing down past Kaworu as he shook his head.

"I'd worry more about yourself…Ukitake can take care of himself just fine."

Kaworu looked down, following Shunsui's gesture to see…a massive great white shark bursting out of the sea up at him. It seemed to consist purely of water, blue and almost transparent, nearly as gigantic as the Inazuma that Komamura had summoned.

Kaworu gasped, trying to find reason as the great watery beast opened its maw to catch him in midair.

_The path of least resistance…hmph…_

Ukitake stared confidently up as the massive beast of water that had wafted from his creating palms swallowed Kaworu whole, deciding he would dissipate it and simply use it to bring Kaworu back underwater again like the fists.

Though this time he'd have to unfortunately use water pressure to end it, since Kaworu had been so unwilling to accept the mercy of drowning…he'd have to compress the poor boy into shattered bits of mangled bone and flesh. He'd done it to opponents before, it was quite an unsavory and frankly better avoided technique, but he figured there was no point in dragging this foolish fight on longer than he needed to.

His bemused confidence was suddenly shattered as the young Yamamoto-Genryūsai burst right out of the watery tail fin of the great shark Ukitake had conjured, before he could sent it back into the sea.

Kaworu hurtled out, inches away from Ukitake, using a terrible roundhouse kick that slammed hard into Ukitake's face and sent him splashing deep underwater with a gasp of pain.

Kaworu hovered a few feet above the sea now, staring down into its murky depths as he awaited Ukitake's return.

_He definitely isn't dead…he'll try something weird…maybe a giant beast…or surprise attack…gotta be ready to dodge, I definitely can't go down THERE._

His clever thoughts of strategy seemed suddenly overthought however, as Ukitake simply plunged out of the water right in front of Kaworu.

The former Captain smirked in victory, a terrible precise point of lightning appearing around his right hand and slashing straight through Ukitake's chest. The lightning blade tore Jūshirō Ukitake apart, though Ukitake's body simply became water that splashed back into the waves with no great din.

_What? Did he make a water clone of himself or something?! What kind of trickery is this?_

Suddenly Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai found himself surrounded by five Captain Ukitakes, each plunging out of the water and standing at a different direction next to him.

All the Ukitakes seemed quite surprised however as Kaworu simply closed his eyes and let his arms fall limply to his sides.

They didn't let this seeming surrender trouble them much though, all of them drawing identical twin zanpakutō also seemingly cloned out of water and slashing them on all sides at Kaworu.

Shunsui stared down in trepidation as Kaworu dissipated four Ukitake water clones in one great kick, his spinning foot finally landing on the solid skin of the final real Ukitake and sending him painfully skimming above the waves.

Captain Jūshirō Ukitake gasped, spitting real blood onto the waves below and staring hard and determined at Kaworu.

"H-How?!"

Kaworu smirked.

"You think such things can trick me more than once? It's quite easy to sense the electrical fields or lack thereof in your clones, I simply need to concentrate and extend Inazuma's crackling power…it's simple to discern the minor difference that reveals a true man from one merely constructed of water…no matter how convincing they look on the outside. "

"Hmmm…you've grown stronger, Kaworu…I'll give you that, but now I'll-"

"You'll what?! Die?"

Ukitake's eyes widened, turning to see Kaworu replying right behind him, Kaworu's words punctuated by a crackling fist of lightning that was aimed for Ukitake's neck.

He found himself paralyzed, unable to dodge from the sheer weariness and disease racking his body; though just as he made ready to react…a voice interrupted from above…Shunsui's worried but confident voice.

"Quickly Ukitake, let's do it together! Whirlpool Combo!"

Ukitake nodded instantly in response, making Kaworu quite quizzical and even more quizzical as he found himself frozen in midair like he had been before, his punch never even landing.

_This again?! I can't move! Who's doing this?! Shunsui?!_

Suddenly he saw Ukitake leaping backwards in the water away from the frozen Kaworu and simply submerging into it.

Seconds later the water began to churn and swell violently below him, and a massive gust of wind began to whirl around his body in a terrible spiral, sending him spinning around as it sucked him down into the violent waves below.

He found himself unable to resist the sucking speed of the wind, and found himself hurtling about in a great circle in the air as the water below him began to mimic his motions in a terrible swirling whirlpool.

Before he could even blink he was sucked down into it, but found himself passing through open air rather than dark water as the wind-fueled whirlpool opened a gaping hole in the great sea all around that lead directly to the ground which Kaworu felt his feet now glued and pressed down upon.

At that very moment, Ukitake reemerged from the waves that raged but remained fixed like walls around Kaworu, two swirling blades of water in both his hands which he quickly slammed with all his strength into Kaworu's chest.

At that same moment, the wind around him began to actually hurt as it spiraled fiercely, tearing away at his flesh and clothes. The combination of both strikes sent him flying helplessly out of the now dissipating wind and whirlpool in a mess of terrible agony and spilling blood.

The young Yamamoto-Genryūsai hurtled up in the air in intense pain, only to be caught from behind by Shunsui's firm arms which now constricted around his bleeding chest.

"Like that, did you Kaworu? As I said, we are bonded like brothers, Ukitake and I…that is only a sample of the fury that occurs when you cross us both…and crossing one of us means crossing both of us, mind you. Just die already!"

With that Shunsui shoved Kaworu's limp body back down towards the water in a terrible freefall.

Kaworu gasped, feeling his body wear and fatigue from the many blows it had been dealt, his hands outstretching parallel like wings as he witnessed another massive upsetting whirlwind in the sea below.

It quickly became another gigantic whirlpool that actually began to suck in Kaworu as he floated above it in the air, Shunsui's wind manipulation making the air all around fierce and the whirlpool sucking all around it like a vacuum cleaner.

Kaworu couldn't even make out Ukitake, though he knew the sickly bastard lay somewhere within those dark murky waves closeby the whirlpool which was now so intense that its apex revealed the dry ground underneath the great sea Ukitake had created.

Kaworu grit his teeth, clenching his fists as he felt the glowing wing of energy on his right shoulder wavering.

_Shit…shit…I can't maintain this for long…either I get taken into that damned abyss again by these two fools, or I up the ante…it may cost me a limb or two…but I have no choice Inazuma!_

His arms still stretched out, Kaworu let out a yell just as the power of the whirlwind above the water finally dragged him down spiraling into the whirlpool inside the water.

"RELEASING SECOND LIMIT, INAZUMA!"

* * *

Ishida grunted, sending a flurry of spirit arrows at Captain Hisagi's flash stepping form.

The Captain leapt nimbly over them, whirling around to face Ishida's frustrated eyes.

Then he made a movement so subtle that Ishida wouldn't have even noticed it if it weren't for the drastic affect it had and the bloody result it caused.

Ever so slightly, Hisagi pressed his arms against the zanpakutō cradled under his wrists, and slowly they cut small gashes into his flesh.

It was then that Uryū Ishida noted that Captain Hisagi's arms and body were actually covered in scars and old cuts. They had only seemed diminutive because of the tattoos and Captain's robes that Hisagi wore as if he were trying to hide them.

He barely had anymore time for his observations however, as blood began too slip down Shūhei Hisagi's arms and then hover in frozen droplets below his limp hands.

Hisagi glanced up at Ishida with mature stoic eyes that revealed no pain despite the fact that his chest was clearly working to take in quick breathes. Without even pausing, the Captain lifted his arms in the direction of Ishida and let out a firm commanding shout.

"Ketsueki Harisensha!"

The droplets of blood joined by even more blood from Hisagi's arms pooled and formed what seemed like massive crimson icicles hovering below and around his hands.

Uryū Ishida barely had time to bring up his bow in reaction as the massive wave of spike-like blood hurtling at him.

* * *

Ukitake's eyes widened inside the murky dark waves, breathing it in naturally as it was the very sea of his massive and tragic soul.

He knew Shunsui had delivered him another whirlpool combo, and had expected Kaworu entrapped inside whirling water and wind once more so Ukitake could deliver a final blow …however…not like this…things hadn't ended up how he had envisioned.

Kaworu stood before Ukitake with two great glowing wings of golden ethereal energy floating behind his shoulders. All up and down both arms now were those spiraling golden tattoos and symbols, flashing and smoking in Kaworu's skin.

The latent power that Ukitake felt in Kaworu as the latter stood before him was enormous, fearfully dangerous. Perhaps he would've been able to handle it had he been fully healthy…but not like this…

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai seemed hardly entrapped, or the man he had been before as the waves parted around him in a massive blast of spiritual presence coming from Kaworu that was far more unsettling than the whirlpool Ukitake and Shunsui had created.

Nay, it was much like Moses parting the sea itself, and Kaworu calmly walked forward as the water receded from both he and Ukitake but stayed surrounding the inverted island of moist dirt they stood on.

The waves raged around them but couldn't converge any closer, like a pack of angry wild dogs biting at their leashes.

Jūshirō Ukitake found himself absorbed in awe, a cough and a blink and now Kaworu was directly in front of him with his glowing crackling palm outstretched to touch Ukitake's chest.

Shunsui let out a gasp high above, screaming for Ukitake to move, but even if the sickly Captain had tried to dodge, it wouldn't have been fast enough.

Kaworu's open-palm punch moved so fast that it seemed it had never landed.

Instead it looked like Ukitake had been forced a few steps back from an invisible force.

Ukitake gasped, stumbling weakly and staring in confusion up at the sky as it blurred weakly. The gasp he had let out was made entirely of smoke, and he could smell the scent of burnt flesh.

"What's…that smell?"

His eyes lolled and then rolled into the back of his skull as he began to falter and fall. In that very instant, the massive waves that had been uncontrollable around him, the very giant sea that had been created, simply disappeared.

In its place the now smoking twin zanpakutō of Ukitake clattered uselessly next to him on the ground.

Shunsui Kyōraku was there in an instant as the waves disappeared, not attacking Kaworu but instead catching and cradling Ukitake's limp form before it could hit the ground.

"You bastard?! What did you do?"

Kaworu turned to him, smirking magamiously with the two grand webbed wings of glowing golden lightning energy like two great dragon wings behind him.

"I simply tactically applied a bit of Inazuma's lightning to Ukitake's lungs. He has tuberculosis you know, a nearly incurable kind…His lungs are already quite weak, and with a little precise pressure…well it can do wonders on a man."

Shunsui looked down at the comrade he cradled in his arms. Ukitake let out a weak cough, blood spiraling down his pale lips.

"You…you'll pay for this, Kaworu…"

"Oh yes, yes…I'm sure I will…but don't fret just yet, he's not dead…Though he might be if you don't take him to the infirmary in the next five minutes or so I reckon…What a dilemma, huh? Best be on my way so you can take-"

"This won't take longer than five minutes…I don't need that long for someone like you…"

Suddenly Shunsui had disappeared and reappeared right behind Kaworu with his fist raging with wind and aimed at Kaworu's back.

Kaworu snorted dismissively, not even turning as he hunched over and let the massive wings of energy behind him blast Shunsui up and away into the sky like a mere toy.

In an instant Kaworu was hurtling right above Shunsui before Shunsui's flight could even halt, the former Shinigami Captain sending a hard punch in Shunsui's back that sent the lazy Captain slamming into the ground below.

Captain Shunsui Kyōraku gazed defiantly up at Kaworu as the latter man stared down dominantly with the massive power he had gained with the second release of Inazuma's seal so clear and menacing that it was tangible in the electrical bolts that coursed around Kaworu.

"Fast…so fast…"

Kaworu's smirking voice now directly behind him.

"Yes…of course I am…how can you hope to even stop my movements?"

He sent his crackling fist hurtling at Kyōraku's back as the older man just stood there, apparently not even trying to dodge.

_Given up, have you?! Wait…_

Kaworu suddenly found his fist halting a few inches from the back of Kyōraku's neck where he had intended to strike. It was frozen in the air, against an invisible wall that felt like Kaworu had punched some transparent steel barrier.

Kyōraku turned his head slowly to give Kaworu a sour and serious look.

"I wouldn't worry about me…looks like you've slowed down a bit."

Shunsui's fist flashed with speed Kaworu had never seen before, slamming into Kaworu's face painfully and sending the former Shinigami Captain sliding backwards in his tracks and spitting blood.

"How?!"

Kaworu let out this enraged question as he flash stepped towards Shunsui, intending to send a kick towards his chest. However he found his movements sluggish and almost like child's play for Captain Kyōraku to dodge.

Shunsui smirked dourly and sent a flashing kick into Kaworu's stomach that sent him spiraling up in the air.

Kaworu stopped about twenty feet up, rubbing the aching pain in his gut.

"What the hell?!"

"You've noticed…haven't you? You're getting slower and slower and my speed and power continues to increase…even when you seemingly dodge my moves you still feel terrible pain. Thus is the wind, Kaworu. For every punch you launch, the wind resists you fiercely, and for every move it makes it encourages and rallies by my side. Simple, isn't it? But with enough concentrated power I can easily halve the speed and effectiveness of an opponent and double my own."

Kaworu sneered, though it was clear by his face that he was quite surprised and unsettled.

"Hmph! Cheap parlor tricks…If you want to play that way…so be it!"

It was Shunsui's turn to open his eyes wide in surprise and trepidation as Kaworu pointed his palms down towards Kyōraku and began to chant.

"Carriage of thunder. Life's terrible flax of sorrow. Return all to dust as it once was, and end mankind's true misery. Destructive Art: 95, Lighting Genesis, Crash Down."

The massive bolt of lightning that hurtled straight at Shunsui at such speed that it seemed to strike the instant it had been created was quite terrible…however even this tool of the gods was suddenly halted.

Kaworu's eyes widened as he saw Shunsui let out a roar of anger and exertion as the sweat dripped down his body.

_Is he…wrestling a goddamn lightning bolt?! What the hell?!_

Indeed Shunsui had his arms outstretched and a thick whirlwind of air was stretched out from his palms and caught around what seemed to be an immobile and imprisoned lightning bolt.

_Imp…ossible…_

Suddenly the prison of air exploded and the lightning and electricity simply dissipated into nothingness in thin air, Shunsui totally unharmed.

"Hmph…trying the same frying you did on poor Ukitake? He's sick you know, not nearly at his full power."

"H-How…"

"Fool boy, did I not say I am the wind? It is a mere trifle then to control the electrical fields and air movements around myself…your powers will have no effect on me."

Kaworu let out a gasp, first of surprise at Shunsui's words, then of terrible pain that felt like thousands of blades slicing into his body.  
However…none appeared…all an invisible force and pressure cutting his body apart.  
He flew backwards through the air, his profusely bleeding blood flow trailing him as the power of Shunsui's wind manipulation cut him apart.

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai grunted angrily, his body charging with power as the two wings behind him swelled with spiritual strength.

_I'll kill that bastard!_

Yet even as he was about to make a thunderously agile flash step, he found himself totally paralyzed and floating there in the air.

To his surprise, the drops of blood that had trailed him were now also frozen in midair, as if they were glimmering emeralds.

Shunsui's confident voice above him.

"And that paralysis you felt earlier…it is no great task to use the wind to control the very air flow around you. I can keep you still or throw you about like a mere toy, or simply suck the very air from your lungs. But…I'll end this quickly…As I said, I don't need five minutes for someone like you…"

The air around Shunsui began to swell and whirl again and hurl itself at Kaworu in the form of thousands of blades.

Kaworu let out a scream of agonizing pain as he was sent freefalling towards the ground below, his Captain's robes and body quite severely shredded up.

"Your Inazuma…They call him the Dragon of the Sky, don't they? You bearers of the Dragon have always had a great arrogance, I am glad Hitsugaya is nothing like you…Declaring yourself King of the Sky, are you? Well, then I am the very air and wind that surrounds you. Begone!"

Kaworu snarled, feeling a blast of wind sending him hurting down with a crash into the hard ground below. It had felt like a freight train hitting him in the chest.

His wind knocked out and severely wounded already, Kaworu gasped, struggling to rise while Shunsui watched solemnly now from above.

"And so, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai, you end here. I apologize for the trifling transgressions of Soul Society and your father, and I promise we will remember your life tenderly. However, you must cease to be."

Shunsui grit his teeth, concentrating hard until the veins were bulging in his delicate forehead, his hands outstretching to point down towards Kaworu.

"Fūton Renkūdan, Katen Kyōkotsu_…"_

Miniature whirlwinds seem to form around his arms as they pointed down, spinning with a terrible ferocity as Shunsui seemingly concentrated the power of the wind itself into two precise blade-shaped whirlwinds around his arms aimed at Kaworu below.

Kaworu sighed, slowly standing as he watched Shunsui concentrate all his spiritual power into one precise strike.

"I see…I have no choice…I was hoping to keep this a secret until I met father again…but I haven't a choice. It's a matter of survival now… Releasing _final_ limit, _INAZUMA!"_

Kaworu ripped his Captain's robes aside, his body pulsating and the tattoos snaking up his arm seemingly swirling like serpents themselves as he held his palm in front of his chest. A small circular tattoo lay directly above his heart now, golden and glowing and spinning intricately like the gears of a grand clock around other spirals and circles tattooed on Kaworu's chest.

Shunsui stared down in awe, halting his preparation as he watched the madness below.

"Ye gods…so this is the power of the Dragon Inazuma…"

* * *

Did you understand where I was going with Hisagi's zanpakutō design? I could draw it…I have a very clear image in my head…I have really great things planned for his bankai…The Hisagi and Ishida fight didn't get much screen time this chapter, but it's just just just beginning. Heh. Get ready for weirdness and a lot of backstory into this curious and overlooked man known as Shūhei Hisagi and the odd markings and powers he possesses.

And did I just reveal Kaworu's FINAL LIMIT RELEASE?! 

Well, sort of kind of...you haven't seen it in its full glory and appearance and power simply because it's from Shunsui's point of view and the chapter cuts it off. We'll see. 

Anyway, looks like things are getting really intense, hope you're enjoying the fighting so far…for those who tire of it and want to see more of the other characters, worry not, all things come with patience…

Hope you guys stay along for the ride.

See ya next chapter.


	18. Multum In Parvo

Sorry for not having been around so much. I've been messing with real life, doing other crap, writing other stuff, milling over future Bleach arcs in this fanfic, and etc., etc.

FYI, I started a pretty cool Bleach RPG that uses the main storyline of this ongoing fanfic arc, which means you'll be able to encounter Kaworu and such, not that you'd want to…with some new additions that I may or may not include in the fanfic (Actually, one of the new characters I included in this chapter was conceived by me in that RPG first).  


Check it out in my Author Profile, it's linked there, so any Bleach fans who like to roleplay or Bleach fans of this fanfiction in general, stop by. 

Let's get this started!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc... Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

"I see…I have no choice…I was hoping to keep this a secret until I met father again…but I haven't a choice. It's a matter of survival now… Releasing _final_ limit, _INAZUMA!"_

Kaworu ripped his Captain's robes aside, his body pulsating and the tattoos snaking up his arm seemingly swirling like serpents themselves as he held his palm in front of his chest. A small circular tattoo lay directly above his heart now, golden and glowing and spinning intricately like the gears of a grand clock around other spirals and circles tattooed on Kaworu's chest.

Shunsui stared down in awe, halting his preparation as he watched the madness below.

"Ye gods…so this is the power of the Dragon Inazuma…"

He stared at the spiraling dragon imprinted on Kaworu's chest, almost mesmerized as it glowed with power and might along its bearer.

The coiling dragon in the center of Kaworu's chest seemed to tighten, and he could swear it opened a single golden eye to stare directly at Shunsui. For the first time in a long time, Captain Shunsui Kyōraku could see death standing directly before him and it terrified him to levels he hadn't assumed he possessed.  
Kaworu had his head down, and spoke in a booming crescendo in a voice that was his but seemed…different.

"The battle is over. Leave at once, Shunsui Kyōraku."

Shunsui smirked to himself despite the show of Kaworu's unbelievable power, shaking his head.

"Are you kidding me? You know what the answer to that is…Don't get full of yourself just yet, youngster…It's not over until I say it is!"

Shunsui grit his teeth, concentrating hard until the veins were bulging in his delicate forehead, his hands outstretching to point down towards Kaworu.

Miniature whirlwinds seem to form around his arms as they pointed down, spinning with a terrible ferocity as Shunsui seemingly concentrated the power of the wind itself into two precise blade-shaped whirlwinds around his arms aimed at Kaworu below.

"Fūton Renkūdan, Katen Kyōkot-"

"You don't understand…"

Kaworu appeared directly behind Shunsui with his glowing wings and power glimmering, grabbing the Captain firmly with both arms and interrupting Shunsui's movements.

"…I said, the battle is over…End this, Inazuma…"

Shunsui suddenly felt himself overwhelmed with Kaworu's spiritual power, feeling it washing down on him in a wave of cold chilliness.

_Im…poss…ughh…oh…_

After it came a debilitating numbness and stinging pain, as Kaworu sent a massive current of lightning straight through Shunsui Kyōraku's body.

Shunsui gasped, and found his gasp to be a small cloud of smoke.

_Charred…flesh…I…that smell…recognizable…familiar…_  
He found himself floating down dreamily, at a slow almost loving pace, floating through the air as sounds and vision grew distorted.

Kaworu was nothing more than a small speck above as Shunsui finally landed, coughing up smoke and blood and trying not to black out.

_Nanao…oh…oh…Nanao…Ukitake…Old Man Shigekuni…I…_

Suddenly, he could hear Kaworu's booming voice above him, though in Shunsui's distorted senses it sounded like a demonic voice in his own head.

"END THIS, INAZUMA. LET THE TRUE PAIN BEGIN."

Captain Kyōraku felt the pain arcing all around his body, and couldn't even let out a scream. He only gasped and felt his body seize up in agony.

_That burn…The burning…it was horrendous…it…is…horrendous…darkness…and that burn!_

* * *

_That burning...in every fiber and bone of my body..._

"And…I don't think I'll ever forget that burn…Nanao…no…no you need to flee, immediately."

"Captain! Captain, are you alright?!"

All around Shunsui stood members of his 8th Division, including his beloved Lieutenant Nanao Ise.

Shunsui opened his eyes warily, trying not to let them close, still feeling that burn, not sure if hours had passed or merely seconds since Kaworu's attack and his Division's arrival.

Nanao stood looming over him with a concerned face, obviously trying to keep her composure and not be overwhelmed with sorrow for her Captain's fate and fear for the obviously powerful but exhausted man who stood not so far away.

Yes, Kaworu hadn't left in those few seconds Shunsui's division had arrived, panting and on his knees as if mortally wounded. From his body wafted a thick smoke, as if he were aflame, though he was not, a long cross-spear balanced awkwardly against his left shoulder.

True, if anyone could bring this situation to a confident and analytical situation, it was little Nanao, always the studier and proponent of logic and control.

Shunsui remembered when she had first been assigned to his division, always sputtering in confusion and indignation at his playful advances.

His laidback and flirtatious attitude had always irked her, especially for a man said to be one of the most powerful in Soul Society. But over the years they had stricken up a blissful coexistence that bordered on the professional and unprofessional, though never enough in the latter for Shunsui.

It would be a pity for such a bond to be broken now, no not with the death of Shunsui…he was wounded heavily, but he would live to fight again. Ukitake as well, after a good resting period.

No, Captain Shunsui Kyōraku worried gravely for the lives of Nanao and his division if they insisted on attempting the capture of Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai at this point in time.

True, Kaworu seemed out of it, for reasons Shunsui couldn't comprehend. Perhaps the raise in power and taken its toll on Kaworu. It was irrelevant to Shunsui, he simply knew that his Lieutenant and remnants of his division couldn't hope to win such a fight.

Nanao's firm and confident eyes broke Shunsui's heart as he stared weakly up at her.

"Don't…look at me like that…Nanao-chan…please, help me up…we must leave the area immediately…perhaps…steam up some tea back at…headquarters…and we can all forget about this…for the time being."

Her face was serious, though her eyes were brimming with tears. Shunsui hoped they were tears of love, not pity, but he figured he was out of luck. His entire division was overcome with sorrow at their Captain's condition.

"I can't do that Captain…how can you ask us to do that?! This man is a traitor to Soul Society, look at what he did to you and Captain Ukitake! He's already heavily wounded, I can see that…are you telling me you don't believe in us? That you don't think I'm capable of finishing what you started?"

Shunsui winced, staring up at Nanao with a sigh.

"Little Nanao…always…so stubborn…so…adorable…must you press…this matter? Please…I'm…or-"

Shunsui's eyes widened as he spat out a glob of blood and saliva in mid-sentence, coughing violently.

_NO! BODY! DON'T DO THIS TO ME! I CAN'T ENTER THE DARKNESS NOW! I HAVE TO GIVE HER THE ORDERS! I KNOW WHAT SHE'LL DO IF I DON'T! DAMMIT…all…why can't I save…this one woman…Shigekuni…_

Lieutenant Nanao Ise stood firmly over her now unconscious Captain's form, pressing her spectacles up to the ridge of her nose after they had slid because of her moist tears and trembling lip.

She couldn't let the rest of the division see such emotions, but she knew damn well they were brimming with it as well. It went against the fiber of her being to fight with vengeful anger or rely on emotional boosts in battle, she saw it as weakness, irrationality that could lead to defeat.

But Nanao Ise had her duties as well, and though in the back of her head she knew she was using them as an excuse to avenge Shunsui, she did the duty to clear up any dangers or traitors within Soul Society. All self-respecting Shinigami did. How could she simply flee from this battle?

"Kamigawa, take Captain Kyōraku! Tokishiro, take Captain Ukitake! Get them to the infirmary, immediately!"

She turned around at her assembled men, proud and firm Shinigami with their hands on their blades ready to draw. She knew damn well they weren't the type to flinch from a fight, no matter how terrible.

"SHINIGAMI OF 8TH DIVISION! PREPARE FOR BATTLE!"

Nanao Ise could find herself smirking, if ever so slightly with a slight but not overbearing confidence as she lifted the heavy book she always carried around with her and opened it up to gaze at a page.

_I hold all the answers, all the moves, and all the paths available in this battle, Kaworu. All enemies who dare stand against us will be destroyed, isn't that right, Hagakure?_

* * *

The threatened man in a question, one former Captain of Fifth Division Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai, rose from his kneeling position with a grimace of pain.

He ignored Nanao's shouting and the fact that the Captains he had defeated were slowly being evacuated, gazing instead at his right hand.

It, like all of his body was smoking and in agony. It felt like he had been roasted and cooked over a fire. Raw, burning, but his right hand was even worse.

Simply said, his pinky finger was gone. The stump, where the pinky had been burnt off bone and all, was all that remained as a testament to what had been.

Kaworu counted himself lucky.

"_You must always remember son…the dragons are an honor and curse when it comes to zanpakutō…they can bring you great power, but remember we are but their vessels. No one can handle the full power of the dragon he wields, not completely, or his or her body will be burnt to ash! We can only rely on their power in emergency occasions, and even then, not fully, for anyone would be overwhelmed and destroyed."_

_Young Kaworu nodded blissfully, smiling up at his scarred and stern father._

"Hah…I knew…I shouldn't have released the final limit this soon, _let alone_ used it in battle for this long, even though it was only for a few minutes…at least it's just the finger…if that bastard Shunsui hadn't been taken care of quickly I might've been missing more of my body…"

Kaworu smirked, shaking his head.

"You're a fierce patron, aren't you, _Inazuma? _Burn with that terrible madness, as I do, and I shall turn Soul Society into a smoldering heap. What's a few missing fingers and limbs?

"_Jeez, you're definitely going crazy talking to yourself here…and what's this talk of losing body parts. Chicks don't really dig that, Cap'."_

Kaworu's eyes widened at the gruff voice that sounded in his head, replying to it in a whisper out loud.

"So you've come then, Lieutenant Kiriyama? I was wondering when you'd report for duty…"

"_What can I say, I got sidetracked in Rukongai, a few pimps said I owed them money and I had to beat the shit out of them."_

"I told you not to bring unwanted attention to our cause…though I suppose it matters little with what I've done now…Everyone in Soul Society should awaken to the truth of our invasion now that I've defeated those two fools."

"_Just barely too, huh? You look like a mess from what I can see. I reckon you'll want me to take care of the buzzing flies gathering around you. Maybe I should call them buzzards, looking at your state."_

"Feh…don't talk to me like that just yet, Kiriyama…Even like this I could still rip you apart with-"

The voice chuckled.

"_Yeah…yeah…with yer bear hands. I know it well, why the hell do you think I'm still following you around after all these years? What'll you do when I get strong enough to give you a black eye, eh Captain?"_

The exhausted and overwhelmed Kaworu allowed himself a grim smirk at the voice's words.

"Until that day…millennia in the future, you will serve me, won't you Strong Man Shogo? Or should I call you 'Granite'? You always had such obscenely foolish introductions and nicknames!"

"_Nah…that's what the ladies called me…You just move on Captain, I'll take care of your leftovers..."_

The voice let out a sigh that was part nostalgia and part disappointment.

"…_like always…"_

* * *

Lieutenant Nanao Ise smiled firmly as the two Captains were evacuated to the closest infirmary, quickly giving her gathered men the general order to attack.

Surely this would be taken care of quickly, in fact the fastest of her men, the Fourth Seat Shige Ikari was already a few feet away from Kaworu.

Shige rushed closer towards Kaworu, the former Captain standing with his back to the attackers, a long white cloak covering his wounds and ripped Captain's uniform.

_Why isn't he turning around? Overconfident bastard! DIE!_

Suddenly, before Fourth Seat Ikari could get close enough to slash, he felt a rumbling underground, and two hands burst out right beneath him in the cracked earth.

He let out an almost woman-like scream of surprise as they grabbed him firmly by the ankles, crushing the bones within and making him totter.

The men that had been following him suddenly, stopped, watching in terror and surprise. Uncharacteristically, so did the surprised Nanao, watching this unknown factor in her battle plan present himself.

The ground around Ikari and the two hands from the earth suddenly exploded with a flying show of rocks and dirt. In that same instant, former Captain Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai began to flash-step far away with his consummate speed and confidence, despite his wounds.

All this meant was that when the dust and rocks thrown up had fallen back down and cleared, the battlefield had changed drastically.

Gone was the white-cloaked Kaworu, and in his place was another man in a long black cloak, clearly the man who had struck underground. This was evident in that he was still holding Fourth Seat Shige Ikari by the ankles.

Only now, since he was above ground, he had the Shinigami dangling shamefully by the ankles and screaming.

The man simply tossed the Fourth Seat away, letting the crippled man slam into the distant ground, at the same time allowing his opponents to get a good look at him as he threw aside his cloak.

He was lean and muscular, with short-cropped grayish hair that seemed dyed, not brought by age. He had smooth tanned skin complimented by intensely menacing yellow eyes, a face that could be called lady's man handsome but rather annoying with its haughty grin and overwhelmingly apparent self-confidence.

He wore a long black cloak much like Kaworu's white cloak, under it a simple short black jacket and long black trousers, definitely not Shinigami uniforms.

At his hip was a short combat knife tucked into the belt of his trousers, simple and unimpressive compared to his muscular body.

This man seemed sure of himself past the point of impressiveness, rather it became perverse and annoying. This was clear in his movements, laughing heartily as he threw away his cloak and stared at the assembled remnants of 8th Division.

"I am Shogo Kiriyama, Strongman Shogo, Granite, The Mammoth Terror, The Golden Pheonix, The Unkillable Ineffable Invincible Beauty, Terror of the 11th Division, Lieutenant of 5th Division, Commander of the Special Forces, General of the Shinigami Militia, Captain-General of _Division YOUR MOTHER_, Lover of your Women, and last but not least, Deliverer of Your Skins to The Infinite And Marvelous Abyss of Darkness Known As Destruction."

All the Shinigami assembled gawked in annoyance and embarrassment at such clearly idiotic words, forgetting for a moment this man's terrible strength and the fact that he had allowed Kaworu to escape their judgment.

Only Lieutenant Nanao Ise had stayed calm and collected during this newcomer Shogo's introduction, sneering a bit in distaste at the man's foolishness and Kaworu's escape, but not much else.

Suddenly, she spoke up, turning the Division's attention from Shogo Kiriyama, which clearly displeased the man.

"You…you…yes…I've seen your face before…_ Hagakure_!"

She opened a page in the book, trying to stop the trembling of her hand as her men stood behind her.

The page opened to reveal an image and a few paragraphs of information, which Nanao promptly read out loud. The image was that of the man who stood before them.

"Shogo Kiriyama, former Lieutenant of Fifth Division under Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai and simultaneously Commander of the Special Forces and Executive Militia previous to Captain Soifon. This must've been before the Special Forces were assimilated as 2nd Division…Past history included a stint as Fourth Seat in Eleventh Division, top of his class in Shinigami Academy despite a marked record of behavioral problems and violence with classmates."

Shogo moved his tan neck side to side and then cracked his knuckles, sneering condescendingly.

"What is this, huh? An intervention? An interview? It's all old news…don't know why you're repeating it to me…trying to get me impressed over your stupid magical book? Feh, I hate bastards who think they're better than me just because of their brains."

Lieutenant Nanao Ise stared imperiously at Shogo, closing Hagakure.

"Silence, filth! I hate traitors and thugs, most of all. What are you doing here? Working for your old Captain? The record says you were executed centuries ago."

Shogo chuckled, pointing a firm finger at Ise.

"_Just_ why I don't like those stupid record books…you can't learn everything through sentence and page, you've gotta experience it, fists first! I hate you coddled student Shinigami. As for why I'm here, I wouldn't call it anything noble. I ain't got any real urge for revenge like the Captain, I just have a pretty good excuse to smash some stuff up, maybe do a little raping and looting. It's my prerogative, and Captain doesn't really mind as long as I don't get in his way."

"Silence! And don't refer to him as 'Captain'! It disgusts me that you were ever a seated officer of the Gotei 13! Your attitude and manner of speech is pathetic and perverse…You're nothing but trash to be eliminated."

Shogo cocked his head to the side and let out a coarse chuckle.

"Baby, you keep talking dirty like that to me and I might just give you a little fun after I destroy your Division."

Nanao stammered, growling to herself and trembling with fury.

"I _said_ SILENCE! Men! Eliminate this traitor immediately!"

Her men, having been staring at Shogo with trepidation during his exchange with their Lieutenant, immediately steeled their will and drew their own steel ready for battle.

"Yes, Lieutenant!"

Twenty of her men rushed forward, twenty more standing as a reserve behind her.

Shogo flashed towards the closest one, sending a kick at him, which snapped the man's blade and landed on his chest with a crescendo of pain and noise.

Another man he lifted up over his head and slammed on another approaching man, then caught a sword strike with his palms and sent a vicious punch into a Shinigami's face.

He did this all gracefully, in a matter of seconds, his moves all coordinated with terrible and decisive punches and kicks and the occasional flip or tauntingly smooth jump to evade the Division's attacks.

In a little over five seconds, all twenty men that had attack Shogo lay on the ground, screaming and moaning in pain. The lucky ones were screaming, the unlucky ones were simply silent and dead, their faces in gruesome but nearly perverse hilarious expressions of terror and unimaginable pain.

Their Lieutenant watched this all with a steely calm, then made her own move.

Lieutenant Nanao Ise flipped opened her heavy book, and sighed.

Truly the loss of twenty men and such stubborn resistance and haughty treachery was a blow to her will and prestige, but it mattered but little when it came to the final outcome of the battle.

_Isn't that right, Hagakure?_

She stared at one of the pages of her heavy book Hagakure, putting a hand over it and turning back to her men.

"Begin Shiyubiwa Plan, Formation 6. ELIMINATE THE TARGET IMMEDIATELY."

Shogo Kiriyama only sneered as the remaining twenty Shinigami of 8th Division filed out from behind Nanao and began to circle Shogo in a firm ring of men.

"More of you? What is this? A school dance? A fucking parade? I hate fighters like you! Die already!"

Shogo flashed forward, swinging a devastating punch towards the closest man standing in the ring.

Suddenly, a voice, Nanao's, the Lieutenant standing a good distance away from the ring.

"SHINJI, DUCK, LEFT SLASH!"

The man Shogo had swung his fist towards ducked gracefully under his punch, as if following Nanao's orders, and then sent a sword slamming into Shogo Kiriyama's gut.

_WHAT?!_

* * *

Ishida barely dodged the massive wave of blood that sent itself spiraling at him again, gasping for air in exertion as he leapt away and stared in calculation and anger at the calm form of Captain Shūhei Hisagi.

Even now blood flowed from the two red blades each connected to one of Shūhei Hisagi's arms like bracelets. They had quite an odd ornamental design, like small short swords connected to black metal choker bracelets much like the one around Hisagi's neck, except these held the swords to the underside of Hisagi's wrists and palms.

The blood drops didn't fall and pool to the ground, instead flowing and swirling around Hisagi in epic streams and clouds he seemed to control. Truly a grotesque and bizarre sight.

Even worse, Ishida found himself unable to absorb the blasts through his Ginrei Kojaku.

"Feeling overwhelmed? Close to death? Put down your arms before even more of your blood enters my arsenal…You know how simple it would be to kill you now?"

Hisagi appeared suddenly behind Ishida, bringing his hand towards the Quincy's face almost in a caress.

"I only need one open wound on your body, you know…to make your blood broil, to make your vessels explode…it's a fascination condition, young Quincy. But I daresay I have no reason to explain more of it to you. I'm sworn to protect my comrades, and I will. DIE!"

Ishida's eyes widened, unable to get out of the way or draw a Seele Schneider in defense as Hisagi flashed in front of him and brought his arms wrist-down towards the Quincy.

One of the wrist-blades managed to slash into the Quincy's uniform, leaving a small and innocuous cut.

Captain Shūhei Hisagi smiled, trying to avoid the overbearing specter of his brother that always intruded in his memories when he fought. It had almost overwhelmed him when he had fought Yumichika, part of the reason he had given up that fight…

_One cut…more than enough…to end it, eh brother __Yakedo?_

* * *

Chad sighed distantly, having taken temporary quarters with the crazy spikey-headed man, the whiney young Shinigami, and the pink-haired little girl who constantly berated them and played pranks.

Truly, he wished to be at the side of his friends, feeling battle after battle shaking Soul Society, and normally he would be able to track them and get there with ease. He had the feeling something was interfering with his usual logic and sense of direction.

"Tomorrow we go THATAWAY!"

Yachiru giggled, pointing wildly in what seemed to be a random direction as they sat in the small Shinigami warehouse they were resting inside of.

Hanatarō Yamada let out a sigh of abject exasperation at her words.

"What?! You're just picking another random direction! At this rate I won't even be able to get to my own division! Do you guys always do this?!"

Yachiru twisted her little face in demonic annoyance that seemed quiet disturbing on such a cute child.

"Shut up Whiney-Chan, or I'll give you another black eye!"

Hanatarō whimpered in abject fear at the little girl, making Chad sigh and look away.

_Are all these Shinigami so bizarre? I'm beginning to think Ichigo joining them wasn't such a good idea._

Suddenly out of the corner of his eye he noticed the other singular member of their party…the more menacing one…he knew Ichigo had fought this man once before, and now he found himself terrified despite himself and surprised Ichigo had actually won.

Captain Kenpachi Zaraki sat a few feet away from the others, his sword drawn as he shouted fiercely at it.

"You! What's your name anyway?! All those other idiots have fancy voices and shit, why aren't you saying anything?"

Zaraki smashed his sword into the side of the building viciously, cutting a few wooden support pillars in half.

"Dammit! Don't give me the silent treatment, you bastard! I'll cut you apart!"

Kenpachi then began to viciously punch and grapple with the sword he was holding, truly an overwhelmingly daft and incomprehensible scene.

Chad looked away in an utter stupor, glancing at Yachiru again.

_Uhh…is he threatening to kill his…sword?_

"W-What's he doing?"

Yachiru giggled, gazing at Kenpachi's growling form.  
"You don't wanna know, big brown-head."

* * *

Hitsugaya found himself in the dark abyss, his eyes whirling about in anger and confusion.

"Dammit! I should've known better than to trust that bastard Mayuri's idiotic games. Where the hell am I?! MAYURI!? LIEUTENANT?! MOMO?! ANYONE?!"

His voice echoed in the emptiness of the black void, and he sighed in exasperation.

Spinning around he found himself face to face with a massive blue dragon, covered in scale with tall protruding spikes made of ice and water swirling in an aura all around him…along with piercing red eyes.

"Hyōrinmaru?!"

He barely managed to let that out as the beast hurtled itself at him.

Quickly he looked for his own zanpakutō at his hip, only to find it missing, letting out a yelp as the massive dragon snapped at him.

He quickly leapt onto one of the ice scales on its head, gasping at the enormity of the attacking beast and trying to stop it from shaking him off and crushing him.

"What is this?! Damn it all! Destructive Art: 33, Blue Fire, Crash Down!"

He pressed both palms directly into the dragon as he spoke this, satisfied with his own great power as the energy blast slammed from his palms and bore straight through the dragon's skull and out his jaw.

The great creature let out a dying groan and exploded in a cloud of thick dust, Hitsugaya finding himself alone in the void once more.

"What the hell is this?!"

"_Can I dream alone?"_

"_That would not be a dream. It would just be a projection of reality."_

"_Then... where is my dream?"_

"_That is the extension of reality."_

"_My... where is my reality?"_

"_That is at the end of the dream."_

Suddenly, footsteps behind him. He whirled around to find himself face to face with a man he had never expected to see, and inside he admitted, hoped not to see for a while.

Former Captain Sōsuke Aizen smirked, staring at Hitsugaya with his calculating eyes of mirth and menace. He was the Aizen of the past, his spectacles still on, his hair not brushed away.

"How disgusting…Hitsugaya…you are ever the weakling."

* * *

Uryū Ishida gasped, on his hands and knees now, his vision and senses swirling, his body feeling contemptibly weak and pained.

An attempt to stand made him totter and fall onto his back.

Captain Shūhei Hisagi stood solemnly above him, surrounded by an aura of swirling blood particles that was now connected stubbornly and flowing into the cut he had dealt to Ishida's shoulder.

"There you go…stay down…just be quiet, let it ease up on you, this cold death. All I needed was one cut to win this foolish battle."

Ishida tried to breath, finding the process terribly painful and exhausting.

_Not…like this…not as some…pitiful weakling…I'll show you…Ichigo…I'll show you…Shinigami._

"There there, it's over Quincy. It's unfortunate it had to end this way. Even now I'm controlling the blood inside your body. Right now you're going through an extremely severe case of anemia…in a matter of seconds I'll simply explode all the blood cells inside your body out of your orifices. I control the very blood that flows through all living things! Surrender to the inevitable, you pitiable fool."

_Kaworu smiled._

"_This phase demonstrates a consummate ability to manipulate spiritual particles, something elemental in Quincy combat. They are volatile particles, dangerous and easy to use for construction and destruction…Think of yourself as the tailor and of the soul particles as the threads of existence…when you realize this, you'll understand the true danger of the Quincy which my father tried to eradicate, and the new evolution of warrior I will demonstrate to you."_

Ishida smirked, even as he could feel his body failing. All he had to do was kill this Shinigami Captain before the bastard made his body implode within.

Easier thought than done.

"Sew me a dream, Ginrei Kojaku…"

Ishida groaned, slowly standing and raising his white spider-web like bow and glowing with a burning white spiritual presence that shook the air around him

"Still talking?! I told you to just stay down and die quietly. Move around too much and the pain is horrific."

Ishida knew this was true, feeling his body weak and in agony, but he had no need to worry. Before him glowed threads of power, millions, connected to his fingertips and to everything around them. Buildings, the ground, Hisagi's clothes, everything.

Hisagi gasped and Ishida smiled weakly.

"I…control…the very spirit…that flows through…all existence…Surrender to the inevitable, you pitiable fool…"

The threads spiraled from his web-like bow, making it appear as if Ishida stood in the middle of some brilliant concentric spider web of power he himself had spindled as an arachnid.

Captain Shūhei Hisagi's eyes widened, unable to even express his awe at the sight before a massive explosion overtook his very being, sending him screaming in terribly agony.

* * *

Lieutenant Nanao Ise gazed at the battle confidently and then back at her book.

_All going according to plan, huh Hagakure? This battle is already mapped out and predestined. All the cards lay in my hands._

Hagakure seemed to flash in response, the large book showing an illustration of a man roundhouse kicking another man with kanji under it.

"MOKIWARA, DUCK!"

_I will bring honor to you, Captain…Shunsui…_

Shogo grunted in evident exasperation and surprise, thrusting his fist forward only to have it ducked under.

He sent a quick spinning kick at the closest man, only to have the man evade to the right while another sent a precise slash to his back.

"TOSHINORI, DUCK! GATTS, JUMP! YOSHIAYA, RIGHT FEINT, STRIKE!"

The twenty men around him were working like a precise, viciously accurate machine. Every move he made was predicted as Nanao called out in her monotone commanding voice, almost as if in prayer.

Truly this was a terrible instrument of power and war, and Shogo found himself almost impressed, if not annoyed. He hated double-handed shit like this.

He sent another vicious punch towards the closest man, only to have the Shinigami duck and then deliver a shallow slash into Shogo's stomach.

"MEN, BACK! READY POSITIONS!"

In an instant, before Shogo could counterattack, the twenty 8th Division Shinigami were back in their ring around the former Lieutenant, swords readied for another conflagration of wills and blades.

Still, Shogo had not drawn the combat knife at his hip that was evidently his zanpakutō. Obviously this former Special Forces Commander preferred to get down and dirty.

"So you can read my moves, huh? Disgusting…I call _that_ perverse…that sort of cowardly fighting…Disgusting! I hate you pathetic users of tricks and spells, too weak to settle things like real Shinigami warriors!"

The twenty men rushed towards him again, while Shogo rushed right at the closest Shinigami, roaring with relish.

"Toshi, right! Kazou, duck! Kawada, strike! Gin, jump! Moki-"

Toshi had been pummeled with a crushing punch to his throat, and Kazou and Kawada had had their arms simply snapped and broken. Gin let out a terrified scream, trying to jump but finding Shogo's powerful fist slamming into his abdomen and sending him flying away into the distance with a trailing spiral of blood.

_What?!_

Shogo let out a fit of laughter, grabbing another Shinigami and throwing him like a toy ball into the wall.

Nanao's eyes widened and she trembled with anger and disgust.

"No! Kensei, jump! Mokiwara, RIGHT!"

The men she had given orders to had no time to react, Shogo flashing in between the group of remaining Shinigami with methodical ease, groups of them falling with broken bones and snapped limbs.

All his moves dealt

In an instant, he punched another, and flashed away under the slash of another Shinigami only to grab his head and one of his compatriot and smash them together with skull-crushing strength.

As they fell to the floor, Nanao suddenly realized there were only five Shinigami left from her Division around Shogo. All of Kiriyama's physical combat moves had been dealt with almost marvelous technical excellence that Nanao might've studied or been awed by in a textbook had this not been her brutal enemy. Pressure points slammed, limbs and tendons snapped, men totally taken out of action with precise blows and moves.

The former Lieutenant turned to the current Lieutenant, noting her expression and chuckling coarsely as he wiped some blood from his forehead.

"Oh, your book is fun and all, but what happens when I raise my speed a bit? You've never had an opponent like me, I suppose. I'm _almost_ flattered by your weakness."

Nanao Ise bit her lip, trembling with rage and exasperation. It was true, despite Hagakure's abilities and the smooth organization of her division; she had never calculated having to handle speed and skill of this level. It was only something that…

_Something that…only…Shunsui…could match…_

She bit her lip, trying to overcome the tears at such a realization, trying to stay strong and defiant.

_Don't be so goddamn weak! Relying and leaning on another person has made me weak…an embarrassment…I suppose I have no choice but to use shikai…_

However, her thoughts were interrupted as the remaining five Shinigami of her Division proceeded bravely without her orders or Hagakure's assistance. Certainly Nanao hadn't expected them to act, and apparently neither had Shogo.

The five trembling Shinigami let out a gasp as former Lieutenant Shogo Kiriyama took their zanpakutō attacks without even moving.

In an instant the five Shinigami that had surrounded Shogo had slid their blades into his gut from all sides, making the man's stomach look much like a porcupine.

They stood there, trembling in fear despite the fact that they had their swords plunged in the enemy. Perhaps terrified by their so-called 'victim's' perversely calm appearance.

He gazed at them, hissing and gasping as blood dripped from his stomach and lip.

"_Ooooooh_ yeah…that's what I like…now we're talking…ughh…you sure stabbed me up good…Reckon I've got myself in some deep shit."

Lieutenant Ise looked away in evident disgust, shaking her head in shame that such a man could've ever been appointed an officer of Soul Society.

"End this fool's death moans immediately. Finish it!"

The five Shinigami nodded, about to take their swords out…only to have their actions preceded by Shogo Kiriyama.

The former Lieutenant let out a whooping scream that was half laughter and half rage, and brought his hands down in flurried motions. The blades inside him were broken apart into fragments, no longer connected to their hilts.

His fists hammered the swords impaling them, and then grasped out the pieces still left inside, letting them clatter onto the ground except two, one sword fragment held in each fist.

In a few seconds of swung hands and punches with an aftertaste of steel blade, four out of the five men who had surrounded him fell to the ground with broken bones and decapitated heads that rolled down a few seconds later.

One man stood alive, behind Shogo, letting out a tremulous gasp of terror as he reached for the secondary sword at his hip and thrust it into his enemy with his eyes partially closed in trepidation.

The blade slid deep into Shogo's side, but the bronze man didn't even move, grasping the 8th Division Shinigami's sword with one hand and keeping it firmly inside of himself despite the blood from both the gripping hand and stab wound coupled with the other wounds dealt to him.

In one fluid motion he slashed the sword out through himself, yanking it out of the Shinigami's grip, and slashing the man in two with his own sword despite the blood pouring out of Shogo's own exacerbated wound as he did so.

Shogo Kiriyama turned, his lean muscled body entirely slick with blood, and gave a brazenly perverse smile to Nanao, his golden eyes glittering with promises of death and violence to come.

"Behold the power of the Letztes Division, the last division; betrayed and slaughtered by its own society! Don't cry just yet, bitch, the fun is just getting _started_!"

Lieutenant Nanao Ise's widened in what could only be terror. _This_ was _not_ in any books she had read.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, hope it wasn't too fuzzy or weird because of my absence, and I hope it wasn't too long/short.

Anyway, I introduced Kaworu's Lieutenant, surely you must've been wondering who he was. Hope it wasn't too abrupt or weird. 

Expect more action next chapter, as well as where Kaworu has slinked off to and what the other people around Soul Society (And maybe Hueco Mundo) are up to.

Also, don't count Nanao-chan down and out just yet, keep in mind she hasn't even used her shikai. Damn, that Shogo can get a bit annoying sometimes. Hope she takes him down a peg.

Anyway, looks like things are getting really intense, hope you're enjoying the fighting so far…for those who tire of it and want to see more of the other characters, worry not, all things come with patience…Keep in mind, I plan this epic, you will see tons of Ichigo, tons of Rukia, Kenpachi, Orihime, Ishida, Chad…I'm not making this just one arc. It'll continue even after Kaworu's story resolves, and I've got tons and tons of plans. 

Hope you guys stay along for the ride.

See ya next chapter.


	19. Sapienti Sat

Sorry for being so inconsistent with updates, it's just because of a few reasons:

1.) Busy with real life.

2.) Busy with my major forum, which features roleplays, discussion, and a Bleach roleplay featuring some of the original characters in this very fanfic. Stop by! www.coloholics.co.cc

3.) I have a flaw as a fanfic writer, especially with this story. My mind is ten million times faster than my actual writing. In my head, I have already seen, read, animated, and written 300 chapters of this fanfic. I'm not even kidding. Final battles, character drama, major releases and plot turns, everything. But while my daydreaming mind has it done, my free time and typing fingers are too slow to catch up. At the very worse, some great scenes eventually disappear, never put into print!

But I'm going to try my best and salvage my mind and freetime and keep writing, stick with me guys. Let's get going, maybe I'll just write bigger and bigger chapters so I can save more stuff from mental fading and make up for my terrible speed. 

Let's get this started!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc... Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

Former Captain Sōsuke Aizen smirked, staring at Hitsugaya with his calculating eyes of mirth and menace. He was the Aizen of the past, his spectacles still on, his hair not brushed away.

"How disgusting…Hitsugaya…you are ever the weakling."

That horrible man who had taken Hinamori's innocence and sanity, how could he be standing before Hitsugaya at this very moment? And rather than drawing Hyōrinmaru in rage at Aizen as he had when he found Hinamori splattered in crimson on the ground, rather than that…his hands were trembling.

Could this be…fear? How could he gain the strength to last, to bring vengeance in the name of Hinamori and Seireitei when this fear gripped him?

Aizen's smirk widened, and so did his very form itself, the traitor seemingly growing bigger and bigger looming over Hitsugaya as little Shiro-chan seemed to be getting tinier and tinier.

How could one defeat fear and find the strength to fight such an opponent? And why couldn't Hitsugaya stop this…trembling…these thoughts ran through his head.

_When I died on that plain…what did I truly gain? Twelve petals at my back and a weight upon my shoulders…the dragon of ice, was I truly the one deserving of its strength? Why not Sōjirō?_

_If I can't even protect my…if I can't even protect her…what's it worth…_

_I dreamt of a plain of ice…I felt his presence, I heard his echoing voice crushing and engulfing, resounding in the distance like thunder…brushing against my hand like a delicate flower…_

_But that noise was nothing but Fear now. Fear and Impotence thundering in the distance, seducing me into complacency._

_Why am I still here? What am I worth? _

That girl appeared in front of poor Hitsugaya the moment he looked up, seemingly replacing the vision of Aizen on the vast plain of ice.

That short-haired tender…kind-hearted girl, as delicate and important to him as the icy petals that rose behind his back. Why did she of all people have to show up now…?

_Momo…_

"Why are you here, Shiro-chan? What are you worth?"

Hitsugaya trembled.

"No one understands me! You never did, Rangiku never did, Sōjirō never did…and neither did Hyōrinmaru! Why was I chosen to become the bearer of one of the three dragons? What did I do to deserve such a powerful curse?!"

Hinamori smiled sadly.

"You don't understand other people…"

"I thought I could create something painless with my strength, a perfect world where you and all of my friends would be safe. But I let down Sōjirō, and now I let you down as well…"

"Because you never tried to understand the true form of your strength and this world, you simply think this all unfair and cruel…"

Hitsugaya grit his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury under that wild head of ivory hair, his fists clenching and unclenching wildly.

"NO! BETRAYED! MY FEELINGS WERE BETRAYED!"

"You misunderstood it from the very beginning, Shiro-chan…you created those feelings inside yourself, the impotence limiting you…let go and release…what are you afraid of?"

"I…I'm afraid of hurting others…hurting myself…"

_But haven't you been hurt by not releasing your true potential? Haven't your friends and loved ones been hurt by your lack of power already?_

Tears ran down Hitsugaya's face as his small body trembled. He reached for Hyōrinmaru at his side and then suddenly realized his sword simply wasn't there.

"Nobody wants me…so everybody, just go and die…"

"But Shiro-chan…everyone has a right to live on…"

"It would have been the same with or without my existence, with or without the Dragon of Ice who chose me…Nothing was added or changed by my existence, in fact it probably made your life and Sōjirō's life worse. So everybody…just go and die…"

"But your heart has been dampened by your tears…by your fears and limiting…"

"It would be better if I weren't here…so it doesn't matter if I die…"

"Then…why are you here, Shiro-chan? For what purpose? You fear release yet welcome surrender…"

"Can I stay here?"

There was no reply. Looking up, Hitsugaya noticed Momo had disappeared and replacing her spot on the plain was a vision of her as she he had found her splattered with blood on the ground after Aizen's betrayal.

Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya's scream reverberated through the unyielding plain of ice.

_If I can't protect the ones I love…what am I worth…Hyōrinmaru_

_I hear a voice…an echoing voice, crushing, engulfing, falling into my hand like a rose petal separated from its bud fluttering in the cool breeze. _

_Crashing…just like thunder…this is for you Momo…this is for you Sōjirō…even if I die, I will repent for the sin of my own weakness and pledge my life to redeeming you._

"Hyōrinmaru_._"

* * *

Lieutenant Momo Hinamori trembled quietly on her hospital bed, her eyes wide as she awoke violently from her slumber as she had been doing many times in those past few months since…since…

No, she could not speak it, nor even think it. But for a second, she had thought she heard Shiro-chan screaming out her name.

Her imagination. Another delusion.

A total psychotic breakdown, that's what the 4th Division nurses called it, or wrote down on the clipboard when they though she wasn't looking.

She had to close her eyes, return to the cold gray world of sleep and pretend where everything was safe…safer than reality and consciousness, at least. At least when you were betrayed in your dreams you were redeemed when you awoke.

Slowly, Momo Hinamori drifted back into her own mind and the world of sleep, leaving Soul Society and consciousness to return to her dreams. Outside in that real world, things went on as usual, but she cared not. Outside in that real world, a foreign voice whispered…

"Chuu, _Gusanocerebro_!"

* * *

_  
"I have no choice but to stay in Soul Society, stay a Shinigami…I'm forced to live like this…"_

_Momo Hinamori trembled alone on a vast plain of white nothingness, her blade Tobiume cradled in her weak delicate hands._

"_I have to save you from Ichimaru…I will…Captain Aizen!"_

_She could see Gin Ichimaru in front of her now, the one who had certainly manipulated the events of the past few months. After all, Sōsuke Aizen was a kind, generous man, the man she adored even more than Shiro-chan._

_Ichimaru's slit fox eyes were as wide and venomously facetious as his cruel smirk, standing there coldly in front of Momo-chan._

"_Oh, madame Hinamori, I hope I'm not interrupting your slumber! All women require their beauty sleep, eh?"_

_Hinamori grit her teeth, drawing Tobiume in a fit of rage._

"_Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP! __Hajike, Tobiume!"_

_Yet...the sword did not change or release…Tobiume's blade did not straighten nor produce several jitte-like prongs along its length. No fiery balls of destructive crimson energy were emitted…_

_Nothing…happened…at all…_

_Hinamori's eyes widened in desperation._

"_Tobiume?! This…this piece of trash won't react?! No…no it's me…I'm the trash…I'm useless…no one needs me…no one needs a Shinigami who can't use their zanpakutō…"_

_Gin Ichimaru smiled, reaching for the sword at his hip._

"_Then, I reckon I'll take your life, little lady. Hope you don't have any qualms with that?"_

_Momo trembled in total and utter impotent fear, closing her eyes and preparing for death…Tōshirō…someone…help…help!_

_Suddenly, a warm hand on her cheek and a calm familiar voice. Her eyes opened, revealing Captain __Sōsuke Aizen standing with a loving smile before her. At his feet was the vanquished Gin, splattered in blood, his haori in tatters. _

"_C-Captain Aizen?!"_

"_Shhh, calm yourself my Hinamori…you are not trash…you are simply lost, trying to find yourself within the heart of others…empathy can be dangerous…"_

"_I…I don't…"_

"_You fear being alone…"_

"_C-Captain…"_

"_You fear because you'd be erased from existence, bleached away, your memories, your existence, your friends…you fear that you are too weak to continue existing…"_

"_So…I can survive if…"_

_Hinamori's confused contemplation and words were cut off as her Captain Aizen wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace which she promptly melted into._

_This time…there was no sword in her gut…no betrayal…no…not anymore, after all, evil had been vanquished, Ichimaru had been killed…evil HAD to be DESTROYED._

_Sōsuke Aizen smiled with a warmth that anyone else would find so over the top that it would come off as practiced and facetious. But to the Lieutenant in his arms it was nothing but love, love, love._

"Yes, my Momo-chan, evil has to be destroyed…and you will be the one to destroy it."

* * *

Somewhere far away, back in the world of consciousness and outside the world of dreams, the recently appointed Captain Shūhei Hisagi finally woke up from his unconscious state.

The first thing he felt was an overwhelming confusion, then simply pain all over his body.

What…had happened?! Where was he?

He tried to get up, but felt burning pain all over his body, only able to cock his burnt neck up ever so slightly to glance at his own charred nearly-nude form.

The…fight!

"_Sew me a dream, Ginrei Kojaku…"_

_Ishida groaned, slowly standing and raising his white spider-web like bow and glowing with a burning white spiritual presence that shook the air around him_

"_Still talking?! I told you to just stay down and die quietly. Move around too much and the pain is horrific."_

_Ishida knew this was true, feeling his body weak and in agony, but he had no need to worry. Before him glowed threads of power, millions, connected to his fingertips and to everything around them. Buildings, the ground, Hisagi's clothes, everything._

_Hisagi gasped and Ishida smiled weakly._

"_I…control…the very spirit…that flows through…all existence…Surrender to the inevitable, you pitiable fool…"_

_The threads spiraled from his web-like bow, making it appear as if Ishida stood in the middle of some brilliant concentric spider web of power he himself had spindled as an arachnid._

_Captain Shūhei Hisagi's eyes widened, unable to even express his awe at the sight before a massive explosion overtook his very being, sending him screaming in terribly agony._

That Quincy…so Hisagi had lost!

"Shit…brother Yakedo… Captain Kensei, guess I let you all down…what kind of Captain am I to lose my first battle as head representative of…9th Division…"

The only thing that rested on Hisagi's brain was humiliation and shame, no thought to how he'd physically get up and recover from this defeat. Someone would probably find him soon and have him transported to 4th Division Headquarters, that matter was ultimately inconsequential.

What really dwelled on Hisagi's mind was the shame; he had let them all down. One other thing gnawed at him as those festering wounds on his body surely were at this very moment.

_The Quincy…why exactly did leave me alive?_

* * *

At that moment said Quincy Uryū Ishida was moving quickly through Soul Society, his Hirenkyaku taking him rapidly past any low-level Shinigami that would attempt to halt his movement.

Indeed, he still felt the wounds from that battle with the Captain he had defeated, but something more pressing urged him on faster and faster towards a fixed destination he had been seeking from the very beginning he had reappeared before his former friends and comrades as a seemingly changed man.

_Even if it takes selling my soul for the power necessary, I will become stronger, strong enough to protect those important to me, strong enough to live on…I'm sorry, Rukia, Ichigo, Chad, Orihime…but my time with you dulled my heart and my goals as a Quincy._

_Even if I sell my soul in the process, I will become strong enough…_

Ishida flashed forward faster and faster, ignoring the pain of his wounds.

"…strong enough to avenge you, grandfather Sōken…strong enough to show you that Quincy pride still exists, father…I will take stop Soul Society's injustice once and for all, even if it means killing you, Ichigo Kurosaki. And when it is over, I will take your life as well, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai…"

* * *

Lieutenant Nanao Ise's eyes were wide open and confused. All around her were the unconscious and dead bodies of her division. In front of her was an enemy, a beast of a man who had taken multiple swordwounds to the gut that would have been fatal to any other person…yet he was still standing there, grinning like an idiot.

_Nothing in my calculations precluded something like this…_

Former Lieutenant of Fifth Division Shogo Kiriyama chuckled boisterously, slowly stalking around Nanao like a buzzard circling carrion. His body was slick with sweat and the blood of many men; however despite the severe wounds he had been dealt, Kiriyama seemed quite at ease and amused.

"Heh, the look on your face is telling me you're puzzled bitch! Well don't be, we're just made of different stuff, you and I. Soul Society is nothing but a shithole these days, I'm surprised a bitch like you could make Lieutenant!"

Nanao grit her teeth, steeling her will. No matter what sort of beast this man was, she had to stand her ground and use her rational and skills to solve the problem. For herself and for her division.

_And for you, Captain…I won't let you down…you've saved me so many times, now it's time for me to show you I'm worth it...even if it means dying._

"You seem kinda silent…you know I like it better when girls scream, it's no fun when your prey's all quiet. Already ready to give up?"

Lieutenant Ise looked up sharply with a surprising amount of ferocity and determination that actually surprised the coarse taunting Kiriyama. Glaring at the wild man, she pushed her spectacles up closer to her eyes, letting the lenses glint menacingly in the low glare of the sun.

"Overconfidence will be your downfall, Shogo Kiriyama. I have all the data required to defeat you, all I need to do is put it all together."

She paused, taking out her heavy book once more and opening a page, then continuing, repeating what she had said earlier.

"Shogo Kiriyama, former Lieutenant of Fifth Division under Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai and simultaneously Commander of the Special Forces and Executive Militia previous to Captain Soifon. This must've been before the Special Forces were assimilated as 2nd Division…Past history included a stint as Fourth Seat in Eleventh Division, top of his class in Shinigami Academy despite a marked record of behavioral problems and violence with classmates…Suffice to say you've got a long history of behavioral and disciplinary problems, and a surprising amount of close calls, fights that would surely have cost the life of any other man. Perhaps I will require my initial release for this battle…"

Shogo raised an eyebrow, halting his revolutions around the Shinigami Lieutenant.

"What the fuck're you talkin' about?"

Nanao gave a small smile, shaking her head and sighing.

"You need to be more aware of your surroundings, former Lieutenant Kiriyama. You didn't think that coordinated ability was all I am capable of, did you? I haven't even used my shikai yet."

Shogo's eyes widened and he studied her silently with a dour sneer, actually brought to quietness for once during the encounter by her reveal, a remarkable task for Nanao to have silenced such a boisterously overconfident man.

Drinking in his silence, Nanao quickly closed her book and whispered two quick and familiar words she hadn't needed to say in quite a while.

"Kairan, _Hagakure_."

The second she spoke those words, the heavy book collapsed inwardly around her right hand which had held it, revealing a wakizashi or short sword. It didn't seem remarkably exceptional, though it shined with an ethereal light.

"Well, well, what're ya gonna do with tinker toy? Still, my mother taught me to be nice to girls, so I might as well reciprocate."

Nanao remained perfectly still and silent, her short sword at her side, not replying or saying a word as Shogo Kiriyama reached for the combat knife at his hip, apparently finally read to get serious.

Raising it up and holding it in both hands so the blade and handle bit into him, Kiriyama spoke gruffly.

"Funzai, Ishizuchi!"

The second he spoke those words, there was an explosion of reiatsu and dust all around him. Shogo sneered, the dust clearing to show him pulsing with spiritual power, his muscles and form even more impressive.  
His combat knife was gone, but he had a spiked ring or kakute on each of his middle fingers that would surely leave nasty wounds with a punch.  
And it was one of those fists pulsing with spiritual power that Nanao now found hurtling towards her face.

The punch was swift and powerful; Shogo Kiriyama had been a former Commander of Special Forces adept and skilled when it came to hand-to-hand combat after all. Nanao Ise on the other hand was the quintessential bookworm, excelling mostly in technique, study, and strategy.

That's why Shogo found it quite amazing when Nanao's right fist slammed into his face just as his own fist hit her cheek. They both flew backwards from the simultaneous blows, something far more surprising regarding Nanao's punch. It had packed just as much power as Shogo's, this petite woman flying back but sending the muscular beast flying as well.

He growled passionately like a wounded dog, getting up and quickly hurtling towards Nanao again, obviously a man used to smashing his problems to a pulp.

This time he sent his leg flying forward in a vicious kick aimed at Nanao's throat. However just as with the punch, Nanao was already there moving forward with a kick aimed at Shogo while jerking her head to the side to dodge the very move she was copying.

Shogo spat blood as he took the hard kick in the throat, stumbling backwards after his own kick hit nothing but air.

He grit his teeth through the blood, gasping for air and clenching his fists while Nanao glared silently at him, her eyes condemning and cold, as if analyzing his every move.

"Grauugh…don't…look…at…me…like…that, you…stupid…bitch…I'll kill…you…"

He quickly raised his speed as he had done against the whole division, jumping forward with remarkable speed, only to be met with Nanao jumping forward with nearly same speed.

_Fuckin' impossible! This bitch shouldn't be as quick as me!_

These thoughts ran through Shogo's head as he launched an elaborate spinning kick towards Nanao's face, only to have it met by the exact same kick, their legs slamming together with nearly equal power and sending both Shinigami stumbling backwards in pain.

Shogo grimaced, holding his leg and glaring violently towards Lieutenant Ise.

"What the fuck is this?! It's like I'm attackin' a goddamn mirror. At least you didn't manage to fuckin' dodge it that time…"

Nanao sighed, adjusting her glasses, quite calm and collected as she spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, her first words since she had released.

"Hagakure can read your moves physical moves seconds ahead of time, you saw that when you fought my division…Using my shikai, I can take this to the next level, Hagakure reading your physical moves and copying them perfectly and simultaneously through my body. Anything you can do, I can do as well, though I suppose I can't dodge everything if you move that fast, so it's quite a war of attrition… This battle is already mapped out and predestined. All the moves lay in my hands."

Shogo Kiriyama grit his teeth, spitting blood onto the ground and growling. This was really pissing him off, especially being lectured to by some stupid woman.

"So you're nothing but a fuckin' cheater, a fuckin' copycat. It's ridiculous to think a copy would even _compare_ to the original, you dumb bitch!"

Shogo's eyes blazed with fury and he rushed right at Nanao, Nanao doing the same simultaneously, the two Shinigami running with perfectly copied strides at each other.

Kiriyama leapt up as he got closer, only to have Nanao execute the exact same move, his fist flashing forward in a right punch at Nanao's face. Just as she had done before, Nanao copied Kiriyama's movements exactly simultaneously, Nanao's right fist hurtling at Kiriyama's face.

There was one not so very subtle difference, however, in Nanao's right fist was her short sword, hurtling forward for a very different effect at Shogo Kiriyama's head.

_Shit…_

* * *

Inside Ichigo Kurosaki, something was surely changing. Outside, in the world of consciousness and Shinigami, a lone voice whispered once more.

"Chuu, _Gusanocerebro_!"

"_Can I dream alone?"_

"_That would not be a dream. It would just be a projection of reality."_

"_Then... where is my dream?"_

"_That is the extension of reality."_

"_My... where is my reality?"_

"_That is at the end of the dream."_

_Ichigo Kurosaki woke up with a start, sweat dripping off his brow, to find himself laying in the infirmary, his entire body aching._

"_Where am I? What happened?! That fucking Ishida! I lost?! I LOST?! I CAN'T LOSE, I CAN'T LOSE. DEFEAT MEANS LOSING EVERYTHING I'M TRYING TO PROTECT! I HAVE TO PUT MY SOUL ON THE LINE! I have to be strong enough to support and protect everyone; I can't let it happen again like it did…when…"_

_Ichigo paused to stare up at the ceiling, muttering under his breath._

"_Unfamiliar ceiling…mother…"_

_He turned to see a familiar Shinigami girl standing to the side of his bed, her soft eyes flashing with unreadable emotions._

_"Where am I, Rukia? Fighting Ishida? No, I'm not there..."_

_Rukia stood beside Kurosaki's bed, startling him with her voice, a voice he had grown to love and at times abhor._

"_If you don't try to further yourself and challenge yourself, you will never grow in strength, Ichigo…Sometimes that means sacrificing your beliefs…or even your soul…to gain the strength to defend your friends against certain death. "_

_Orihime appeared at the foot of the bed, still as she had been when he had last seen her, her soft voice piercing into Ichigo's very essence._

"_Please…Ichigo…you cannot let them kill us…they'll take me…they'll take Rukia…they'll take us all…You have to find a new path to protect us…You couldn't even beat Ishida…What makes you think you can…beat…Kaworu"_

_A new commanding voice rose over the others, Ichigo craned his head to see a tall man with a cold stare and glistening eyes._

"_Aizen..."_

"_Human, you have no strength in your current form…You are nothing but a plague, a weakness among your companions! I overestimated you, drifter…You are too fickle and stubborn, unwilling to consider other paths to strength if they could protect your friends from harm."_

_Rukia nodded slowly._

"_It was my brother's stiff stubbornness that caused his defeat, his rigidity, his refusal to change. You remember…"_

_Beside him was a woman with soft hair that resembled the glamorous painting his father had in their house. Ichigo Kurosaki knew very well who she was._

"_Mother..."_

"_Ichigo…As long as the Sun, the Moon and the Earth exist, everything will be all right. You must gain the strength to defend your friends and loved ones, even if that means taking the path that you fear…"_

_Then there was a flash of light, and Kurosaki let out a shriek, clutching his head._

"_I'LL PROTECT YOU ALL EVEN IF IT MEANS GIVING UP MY GODDAMN SOUL!"_

_This time, however, his scream did not end the dream…if it was indeed a dream._

_Instead, the world around Ichigo and the bed he lay on shattered, as if it were made of glass, fragments of reality exploding and vibrating around him as he screamed._

_Now, he and the bed he lay on were balanced on the side of a bizarre building he found quite familiar._

"_Can you hear me, Ichigo?"_

"_Shit…I'm back here, in this place again…"_

"_Of course you are, Ichigo…your strength has been tested and once again it has failed…"_

_Zangetsu stood in front of him, his ebony locks flowing in a wind that Ichigo neither felt nor sensed. Suddenly Zangetsu's form began to warp and was replaced by a familiar form, that white double of Ichigo with fierce Hollow eyes._

"_Heh, long time no see, your fuckin' majesty. Looks like it's time for us to talk again…You're sure making a wimpyass face there, huh? You got yer ass kicked by a stupid Quincy, I thought we were stronger than that punk, eh?"_

_Ichigo grit his teeth, ignoring Hichigo's words as best he could._

"_Shut up…shut up…where's Zangetsu…where are my friends…why am I here?! Where's Zangetsu, you bustard?"_

_Hichigo smirked, cocking his head to the side, his golden eyes blazing furiously._

"_Ya know, I don't follow, kid. That 'Zangetsu' thing you're talking about? Ain't it on your back right now? Or maybe…could it possibly be…the one I'm carryin'?"_

"_A white Zangetsu?!"_

_Hichigo sneered, drawing the massive sword from his back and pointing it at Ichigo._

"_You asked me where Zangetsu was, didn't you? Well I'll fuckin' tell you…"_

_Hichigo flashed forward in an instant, bringing his Zangetsu flying down at Ichigo, Kurosaki just barely managing to react in time to parry with his own sword._

_The Hollow's voice was resounding and ferocious as it pushed Ichigo back, sword to sword, screeching._

"_I AM ZANGETSUUUUU!"_

_Ichigo grit his teeth, trying to stop Hichigo from pushing him back as they pressed their Zangetsus against each other._

"_Damn you! Where did the man inside Zangetsu go?!"_

"_Tch, what a pain in the ass…I'm not gonna repeat myself for a dumbass like you. I AM ZANGETSU!"_

_As Hichigo uttered those words, he brought his sword back and then flying down in Ichigo's direction, firing off a massive curling blast of spiritual energy that sent Ichigo flying backwards and into the ground._

_Ichigo Kurosaki grimaced, slowly rising in the wave of dust that followed his landing, blood dripping from his lips as Hichigo looked down on him, smiling and speaking snidely._

"_Who knows if you'll ever fuckin' understand, but Zangetsu and I have always been one and the same…Zangetsu and I are both part of your spiritual power, and I am just one part of Zangetsu…and a part of you…I am Zangetsu, I am you…why the fuck're you still fightin'? As far as a body containing this many inhabitants is concerned, when master and servant decide to switch, there's a change in the body's appearance as well. Just as bodies are wrapped in stinkin' meat when they're alive, when ya die you'll be nothin' but bone."_

_Ichigo snarled ferociously at Hichigo's words, making man and beast seem very similar, glaring up at his counterpart._

"_I get it…so that means all I have to do is beat you…"_

"_Tch, that's impossible, retard…"_

"'_Zat so? Let's see what you think after tasting my blade, you bastard!"_

_Ichigo flashed forward, swinging Zangetsu forward, Hichigo meeting it with his own blade, the two counterparts flying through the air as they exchanged rapid blows._

"_Fuck! You're damn stubborn! I told you, there's no point in resistin' like this. I'm a part of you whether you like it or not. I AM YOU! It's useless, just like I told you!"_

_Ichigo grit his teeth, bringing Zangetsu down in front of him and gripping it with both hands. Hichigo quickly mirrored this action and the two combatants faced each other off nearly identically._

"_Is that so...well then…ban-"_

"_You read my fuckin' mind…ban-"_

"_**-KAI!"**_

* * *

Shogo Kiriyama stumbled backwards, blood dripping profusely from the deep cut Nanao had dealt to his face, having just barely managed to avoid getting her zanpakutō embedded in his skull.

_Shit…she can read all of my moves one by one, and copy 'em in power and speed…and to make things worse, her punches have an extra sting that means getting a fuckin' blade in my head._

"Guess I got no choice then…"

Shogo Kiriyama sighed, shaking his head as Nanao silently studied him in what seemed to be resolute confidence.

"Haven't had to use this in a long time, hell the only other guy to force me to was Captain Kaworu. It's almost embarrassing that ya brought me this low…"

Nanao's eyes widened ever so slightly as she listened silently, realizing what he was about to do.

_But…none of the data in the records said anything about a-_

"BANKAI! Ishigami Kuniko!"

The blast of air pressure and spiritual power as Shogo uttered those words were nearly enough to send Nanao flying back, and she could feel an impressive rise in his spiritual pressure as the dust and rubble he had unsettled with his second release began to clear.

_Impossible! I'm in deep trouble if it's something kido-based...I won't be able to mimic non-physical or weapon-focused attacks like that…_

However, to Lieutenant Ise's relief, as the dust cleared and revealed Shogo's release it became quite obvious that it was simply another step in Shogo's vicious physical fighting style. Nothing Hagakure couldn't easily read.

"I'm quite glad, it seems you zanpakutō is just like you, Shogo Kiriyama. Simple, brutal, and quite easy to outsmart. My Hagakure is completely inefficient when it comes to anything other than weapon-based attacks or physical moves, for example, I could obviously not mimic Captain Kuchiki's Senbonzakura or conjure up the Captain-Commander's fire. I thank you for being so one-minded and simplistic, it will be your undoing."

"Oh shut up, ya dumb bitch!"

"Eloquent. Let those be your last words. Former Lieutenant of Fifth Division, Shogo Kiriyama. By the authority and power of Captain-Commander Yamamoto-Genryūsai and the Gotei 13, I will now execute you for your crimes against Soul Society."

The spiked kakute rings on each of Shogo's fist had become hard knuckle dusters on each hand, clearly powerful enough to crush through bones. Nanao would definitely have to end this immediately with another bladed mimic aimed squarely at finishing off Shogo, if she took too many of Shogo's direct hits in a war of attrition she could be in trouble. Obviously however, he'd have make the first move to bury himself, the first step into the grave.

Shogo Kiriyama seemed ready to do just do that in earnest, hurtling forward predictably towards Nanao as she did the same, probably ready to launch yet another punch or kick at her deceptively slender body. Kiriyama's speed, strength, and spiritual pressure had all massively increased, but in the end it would be irrelevant with such simplistic tactics.

_Predictable, isn't he, Hagakure…_

The rough former Lieutenant let out an angry roar as he approached, his fist aimed squarely in a hard punch at her chest. Unfortunately for Shogo Kiriyama, Nanao brought her fist back for the exact same punch, except she had Hagakure's blade within her fist.

No matter how strong his blow would be, her blade in his heart would end this once and for all.

_This is it!_

"You dumb bitch, why don't you just -"

"You Neanderthal, why don't you just -"

"**DIE!"**

* * *

Orihime Inoue sighed, trying to stop the tears from welling up as she stood over Ichigo Kurosaki's now sleeping form inside the warehouse that Sajin Komamura and Urahara had snuck them into.

Urahara, Sajin, and Rukia seemed to be talking amongst themselves off to the side, but their words didn't reach or concern Inoue.

The only thing that concerned Orihime was the slumbering young man in front of her. She had healed Ichigo and watched him drift into sleep, but her concerns and sadness had not been lifted.

_Ichigo…how many times am I going to be here, seeing you like this…hurt and fighting for our sake…and where are Chad and Uryuu? _

The gentle young girl trembled as she felt an earnest and overwhelming sense of hopelessness and sadness, a feeling that was only healed by gently moving forward and taking Ichigo's limp right hand into her own.

Inoue stiffened as she did so. Usually feeling Ichigo like this made her stomach curl like it was full of fluttering butterflies, made her body warm up and feel happy…

Yet…holding Ichigo's hands now, Orihime Inoue felt something unsettling, something wrong…inside of Ichigo.

She had felt it only once before…and she had hoped she would never feel it again…

_Orihime looked frantically at Urahara, her eyes full of worry and sadness that seemed mirrored except far firmer in Rukia as well._

"_L-Let me go see Ishida…I don't know what's wrong with him, but I know he'd never hurt me or Rukia…"_

_Ichigo's eyes were wild as he almost shoved Orihime away in his exasperated pain and clearly worried anger._

"_No! Inoue! He's too far gone! He'll kill anything that stands in his way! Don't you trust the wounds on my damned body? I have to go take care of this once and for all!"_

_Rukia reached out to touch Ichigo's trembling shoulders but he flinched from her touch, still staring at Orihime._

_Urahara watched on with stoic calmness, shaking his head._

Her eyes focused on Ichigo's face in alarm, suddenly noticing something. There was a fresh cut on his right cheek, bleeding profusely.

_I thought I healed everything?!_

* * *

"_BANKAI!"_

_Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes widened. They had both indeed uttered bankai, but while Hichigo's sword was now that familiar slender black blade, Ichigo's Zangetsu had remained the same._

"_What?! How is that-"_

_Before he could finish his sentence, Hichigo flashed forward with that consummate bankai speed, bringing his blade flying towards Ichigo's face._

_Ichigo barely managed to dodge a deathblow, flying backwards through the air and gritting his teeth. His face had been carved into however, a slight cut bleeding freely on his right cheek._

_All around him, Hichigo began to flash about at rapid bankai speed, far too fast for Ichigo's eyes to completely track. As seconds passed by, it appeared as if hundreds of Hichigos were revolving around him, a storm of forms rapidly multiplied._

"_What's wrong Ichigo? Too fast for you? And here I can go even faster."_

_Déjà vu._

_Suddenly the real Hichigo appeared in front of Ichigo at lightning speed, bringing his bankai blade against Ichigo's default Zangetsu and sending the black-clothed man flying backwards._

"_Shit! Why can't I use bankai?!"_

"_Tch, don't give up now punk, this is just starting to get fun!"_

"_Dammit! BANKAI!"_

_Yet...the sword did not change or release…Black Zangetsu's blade did not straighten grow long and slender, Ichigo's power did not explode. _

_Nothing…happened…at all…_

_Ichigo's eyes widened in desperation._

"_Zangetsu?! This…this piece of trash won't react?! No…no it's me…I'm the trash…I'm useless…no one needs me…no one needs a Shinigami who can't use their zanpakutō…"_

_Déjà vu._

"_Now yer learnin'"_

_Ichigo raised his eyes up just in time to see Hichigo's white Zangetsu slide into his belly, making Ichigo spit blood in surprise and pain._

"_S-SHIT! NO! NO! I CAN'T DIE HERE! ORIHIME! RUKIA! MOTHER! __I LOST?! I CAN'T LOSE, I CAN'T LOSE. DEFEAT MEANS LOSING EVERYTHING I'M TRYING TO PROTECT! I HAVE TO PUT MY SOUL ON THE LINE! I have to be strong enough to support and protect everyone! I DON'T WANNA DIE! I DON'T WANNA DIE!"_

_Hichigo gave a simple smirk. _

"_Who ever said anythin' about dying, yer majesty?"_

_Ichigo's eyes widened as he looked back down at the sword Hichigo had plunged through his chest. It wasn't that that alarmed him now; it was the fact that his skin was a deathly white, his fingers were bare cold bone, and in the reflection of the blade…his eyes…were a fierce golden yellow._

* * *

Lieutenant Nanao Ise's eyes widened as the punch slammed into her chest, sending her flying backwards and slamming into the wall. That was it, her body was at its limit, even with Hagakure's mimicry, her body still had the same physical limits.

Shogo's blow had definitely broken some of her ribs and she could taste her own blood in her mouth and throat.

However, she would survive, she knew that, and that's all that mattered. Shogo Kiriyama on the other hand, would not be so lucky.

Her gaze lifted up in satisfied condemnation at him, her vision blurry as she lay in the rubble, gazing her opponent standing there with Hagakure plunged deep into his breast and out his back.

Kiriyama gasped, falling to his knees, gingerly yanking the sword in his chest out and then falling to his hands as well as blood simply poured out of his mouth and the fatal wound in his chest.

"Shit…so…this is it…end of the line…you fucking bitch…"

Lieutenant Ise watched him with a satisfied smile, proud to have defeated an enemy of Soul Society. If only Shunsui were here to see it, he'd be proud. Still the gifted scholar, Ise studied her dying opponent, noting the strange rasping noises he made.

His organs had definitely been pierced, internally bleeding, possibly lung damage, his dying death rattle was evident and jarring…and it almost sounded like he was…crying? So the pig had a heart after all.

_Wait…what? Those aren't sobs…_

Shogo Kiriyama abruptly got to his feet, letting out a boisterous laugh which he had been cradling and trying to inhibit the minute he had fell to his hands and knees covered his own blood. Before she could even react, he moved forward swiftly, delivering another hard punch into her delicate body.

"Hahahahahahaahahahaahahahahaaahaha, I'm sorry, I'm…hahah…it's just…the look on yer fuckin' face…you really think I'd let it end like that?! Hah!"

Nanao's eyes widened, feeling herself eyesight growing blurry as she eased into unconsciousness.

"Ya assumed too much thinkin' my bankai would be as simple as some freakin' knuckle dusters, you stupid bitch. All of your knowledge may be fucking stupendous, but all it did was made you oversimplify me baby, never underestimate Granite, all the ladies know that."

_How is this…did he take my attack on purpose?! How is he still standing, let alone talking!?_

Right before her fluttering eyes, the hole in Shogo Kiriyama's chest was slowly healing, the skin growing just as quickly as the snide smirk on Shogo's face as he turned and began to walk away.

_No! No! That's…that's impossible! No one can survive a wound like that…none of my calculations…none of the records…something like this is outside the realm of reason and ration. It's simply impossible! Not even hollow regeneration is at this level! I…lost?_

"Chow, bella."

Nanao grimaced in pain as she descended into unconsciousness, the last thing on her mind being her Captain's smiling face.

* * *

Rangiku Matsumoto sighed, cradling the sake she had brought as a gift to the recovering Izuru Kira in the hospital chambers. Thank god Captain Unohana hadn't been around to see that, the 4th Division Captain hated alcohol in her healing buildings.

Kira had reciprocated and drunk along with Matsumoto as best he could, but the air of gloom everpresent upon the poor fellow hadn't disappeared even as they sang and laughed in drunken stupor.

Rangiku glanced up at Izuru as he stumbled about his hospital bed, a laugh trembling in her body that made her ample bosom tremble.

"Whaaaaatreya doin Kira, stop makin' so much noise or the nurse might come in."

Kira laughed miserably, trying to stand up and abruptly collapsing hard onto his face, making Matsumoto laugh even harder.

The poor 3rd Division Lieutenant rose once more unsteadily, his drunk face moving impulsively forward as he gazed at the laughing Rangiku in heavy stupor.

"Heeeey whatre you laughin at 'Giku…I didn't pee myself again, did I?"

Rangiku smiled, getting up on shaky legs and grabbing Kira's shoulder to steady him, the two drunken Lieutenants stumbling out of Kira's room and moving precariously forward with their numb feet.

"Where're we goin'?"

Matsumoto smiled.

"I wannaaaaa visit Momo-chan, this sake could cheer her up, y'know…I bet it'd cheer up Hitsu too…"

Kira glanced at Rangiku at the mention of their fellow Lieutenant Hinamori and Captain Hitsugaya, his eyes suddenly serious despite his drunken stupor. He was quite aware of the current grave situation, Hinamori still in this very hospital, drained emotionally by the Aizen incident, still at the edge of mental and physical health. Add to that the fact that Hitsugaya had been missing for the last two days and it was enough to make the gloomy Lieutenant even gloomier.

"Cheer up Izuru, I'm sure it'll allllll woooork out!"

Kira paused, and so did Rangiku naturally, as they were holding each other up.

They were in front of the door to Hinamori's room.

Drunk or not, both Lieutenants could tell something was very very wrong.

The bed was splattered with blood, and more importantly, Lieutenant Momo Hinamori was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

"I have to disagree with you, Urahara…we can't take that course of action yet…"

Kisuke Urahara sighed, glancing at Rukia as she spoke up once again.

_Tch, what a pain…back when I did things solo I didn't have to listen to the input of others. I suppose it's hard to get used to it, even after all these years, eh Yoruichi?_

The massive looming Captain Sajin Komamura nodded slowly as Rukia continued to speak, finally speaking up in his patient and rational booming voice.

"Indeed, Rukia Kuchiki, we can't make any moves to stop Kaworu just yet…I am beginning to understand the Captain-Commander's freeze order now, it was unwise for Shunsui and Ukitake to attack without orders, though I suppose we hadn't any options at that point."

Kisuke shook his head, sighing once more.

"Then what, you figure we should just sit on our hands and wait for ol' Kawo to burn Soul Society to ash? It's no skin off my nose, I am exiled after all, I just don't like the idea of existence being…y'know, destroyed?"

Before Sajin or Rukia could responded, the door to the warehouse opened with a boom, making all three Shinigami rise in alert alarm.

Luckily it was no foe, despite the looming stature of the newcomer. Yasutora Sado walked through the door into the warehouse, nodding a silent and reserved hello to the Shinigami trio.

Kisuke Urahara smiled lazily, greeting Chad back and releasing his hand from his swordcane where it had immediately darted to when he had heard the door opening.

"Good you've finally come Sado, we were worried you were hurt. We managed to get Ichigo out of there and everything seems alright for now, we're just trying to take some time to catch our breath and plan the next step."

The three Shinigami watched Chad, waiting for a response, the usually reserved big fellow being more silent than usual, not even replying.

"Uh…what's wrong?"

Chad grimaced, looking past them at the other side of the warehouse.

"You said you had Ichigo?"

They all turned around, following Chad's gaze. Orihime lay unconscious on the cold warehouse floor, all alone.

Ichigo Kurosaki was gone.

* * *

The two Kurotsuchi clambered calmly around the laboratory glass, Mayuri nodding slowly as he took notes and gazed through at the sedated Tōshirō Hitsugaya.

Perhaps experimenting on another Captain like this was going too far. Still this was a necessary measure if Mayuri intended to study and gather data on the Three Dragons and eventually capture and dissect former Captain Kaworu.

Certainly neither Nemu nor any of his subordinates seemed to have great moral qualms, even as Hitsugaya moaned and screamed with his eyes closed, obviously in a world of his own.

Not that any of them could or would voice qualms if they had any.

"Nemu, record Captain Hitsugaya's neural reactions to the Zanpakutō Spirit Chamber. I want full data recording his brain wave and spiritual pressure."

Nemu nodded firmly, her short hair bobbing.

"Yes Captain."

Mayuri smirked, turning back to his observation of the troubled little fellow Captain behind that one-sided viewing glass.

"Just you wait and see, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai! I don't care who you were or what you stand for…all I want to do is cut you up and put your organs into cleanly labeled jars! Perhaps I'll even be able to add more data to my collection of spiritual oddities, Bounts, and Quincies!"

"I'm going to have to stop you there…"

The cold voice interrupted his revelry, Mayuri spinning around furiously to see who had spoken. When he did so, he almost wished he hadn't.

Standing before him was the "last Quincy", Uryū Ishida.

"Y-You?! How the hell did you get in here?!"

Ishida's face showed no emotion as he pushed his shining spectacles up higher on the ridge of his nose and raised his glowing Quincy bow Ginrei Kojaku.

"It doesn't matter how I got here. What matters is what I'm going to do now that I'm here, Shinigami scum."

Mayuri's eyes widened, and it could be seen quite clearly he was trembling in both fear and excitement. Excitement over another possibility of capturing and dissecting this meddling Quincy. Fear at the remembrance of what had happened the last time they had fought and the realization that the Quincy had most certainly gotten stronger since that time.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi know fear?! Ridiculous! Everything in existence could be categorized, rationalized, cut apart and inspected. There was no unknown, no fear.

Mayuri sneered angrily, his hand darting lightning fast towards his zanpakutō.

But before he could even draw Ashisogi Jizō, Ishida disappeared so quickly the Captain totally and utterly failed to track his movement.

Suddenly a voice directly behind Mayuri and the sight of an arrow being drawn back and aimed at Kurotsuchi's strangely modified skull.

"This, is for my grandfather."

* * *

Former Lieutenant Shogo Kiriyama sighed, slowly scratching his ass as he strolled down one of the many non-descript gray corridors of Seireitei.

Life could be a fucking bitch, but most of all, it was a bitch with no sense of humor or tits.

_"Shit...Captain...did you have to do that? You fucking...bastard."_

_Shogo stood with Kaworu's cross-spear pierced into his gut and the Shinigami Captain quickly slid him off the weapon, making the Shinigami Lieutenant fall to his knees and spew blood from the hole in his stomach.  
Kaworu gave Shogo a calm friendly smile, those same confident eyes that had just outclassed Shogo in power now offering his Lieutenant friendship and a promise of power in the future. This was all Shogo cared about, after all, getting stronger...stronger than his Captain, stronger than all these bastards..._

_"Come now, Shogo...your abilities are quite a marvel, you're the only one here other than Kisuke who can duel with me and come out of it alive."_

_"Tsss, you call this alive, you fucker?! I've got a...shit...hole in my gut..."_

_Kaworu smirked, offering Shogo a helping hand to stand._

_"Eloquently put as ever, Lieutenant Kiriyama."_

After all these years, here he was again, picking up the fucking Captain's leftovers. What a drag. That glasses-eyed bitch had given him some fun, but he really hadn't tasted anything much. She hadn't even been interesting enough to kill.

Shogo Kiriyama smirked, slowly trudging towards what he'd finally figured out would take him closer to some sort of fight at least. An order from Kaworu was an order, after all, but Shogo had taken his time and had some fun along the way.  
His body still smarted from Nanao's moves, but astonishingly most of his wounds were pretty much healed by now and he felt ready to do some more bloody chaos...if necessary, of course.  
He walked up to one of the large doors leading deeper into Seireitei's vast grounds, staring at it.

"Knock, knock..."

His spiritual pressure suddenly raised climatically high, ripping away the strong metal door and sending it fluttering away like a piece of paper with his reiatsu alone.

"...anybody home?"

"Huh, you've got a funny way of saying hello. Guess you're one of that bastard Kaworu's goons."

What Shogo hadn't accepted was a response. Not yet at least, he had figured that anyone not totally retarded would flee at the fucking slightest feeling of his spiritual pressure.

_Maybe I gotta a retarded piece of meat to beat into a pulp then…This should be…what the fuck?! Hollow reiatsu?!_

Ichigo Kurosaki stood on the shattered door Shogo had sent flying, his massive zanpakutō balanced on one shoulder.

The truly alarming thing however, were his eyes…

Hollow-headed coarse bully or not, even Shogo Kiriyama could see there was something wrong with them.

They blazed with an unholy fury as they stared at Shogo…colored a pure fiery _yellow_.

* * *

Nemu Kurotsuchi trembled, feeling what could very well be emotion, something her creator and master certainly did not encourage in her or his other expendable subordinates.

She knew very well she wouldn't be able to move fast enough to stop the Quincy's arrow from slamming right through her Captain's head…and she had an inkling her Captain wouldn't be able to react fast enough either.

Nemu blinked, slowly, feeling her body tremble. The loss of her creator? Her purpose? What could she-

The explosion of reiatsu rippled through the laboratory, shattering the windows and sending glass sparkling through the air like so many stars in a cool clear night sky.

Uryū Ishida's eyes widened. He had released his arrow, yet that despicable slaughterer of Quincy remained standing.

It was then he realized that those sparkling stars weren't just shattered glass. Ishida could see it now…

_Snow…flakes?_

It was then he realized that the cold chill he had felt up his spine had been something other than just surprise.

Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya stood there calmly as the sleet sprinkled down around him, to the two other Shinigami and Quincy's surprise.

Hitsugaya's eyes were resolute and as cold as the ice that surrounded him.

"Releasing first limit, _Hyōrinmaru_ …"

* * *

A solitary man strolled calmly down a Seireitei corridor, the central figure of the chaos in Soul Society seemingly forgotten after his successful escape after the taxing battles against the Captains of Gotei 13's 7th, 8th, and 13th Divisions.

Former Captain of Fifth Division Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai grimaced in pain as his legs gave way, turning his calm stride into an awkward stumble, just barely managing to stop his fall by grabbing onto the wall desperately.

_Damn it all…those two…bastard pupils of my father, to think they forced me to release my final limit this early on…I had planned to save that just for you, father…still…all I need to do is rest for a little bit and regain my energy. Inazuma is a taxing fellow, after all, but I'll be fine, minus my poor pinky finger. _

Kaworu grinned sourly, coughing out a mixture of saliva and blood and getting back to his feet.

"Guess I won't be too popular with the ladies, eh, Kisuke you son of a bitch?"

He grimaced once more, his own words spinning him back into his mind and past, his memories threatening to absorb him.

_The two Captains and best friends stared at each other, silent until Kaworu stopped in front of Kisuke._

"_Captain Urahara…get out of my way…"_

"_I'm afraid I cannot, Captain Yamamoto. What you intend to do is treason and a danger to the entirety of the Shinigami society."_

_Kaworu's eyes widened and he pressed himself into Kisuke's face until his forehead was pressed gently against Kisuke's forehead in a desperately genuine gesture of brotherhood and misery._

_He whispered their faces only inches apart._

"_Please…Kisuke…don't make me fight you…"_

_Urahara shivered, tears running down his young face._

"_Kaworu…think of Yoruichi."_

Kaworu grit his teeth, summoning himself out of his painful revelry and back into the current situation, continuing gingerly forward on tired legs.

He had been so absorbed with his flashback he had actually imagined a girl's giggle at some point, probably Yoruichi's, though oddly enough it had seemed rather child-like and high-pitched.

Kaworu's eyes widened as he heard it again, except this time the girl's voice spoke in a cute singsong from around the corner behind him, and Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai suddenly realized he should have paid more attention to his surroundings.

"Yaaaaaay, toldja we'd find him eventually! I'm the greatest, teehee!"

_A little girl?_ _Then…what's this…what's this spiritual pressure I'm feeling?! There's someone else with her?_

Suddenly, Kaworu looked down at his feet and noticed sourly that there was a shadow looming over him…a giant silhouette right behind him and the sound of…

_A bell ringing? What the-_

Suddenly then, a gruff voice issued from whomever had appeared, accompanied by almost demonic rough laughter.

"HAVEN'T YOU HEARD? EVERYTIME A BELL RINGS, AN ANGEL GETS HIS WINGS!"

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai had just enough time to spin around and glimpse Captain Kenpachi Zaraki's sword hurtling right at his face.

* * *

Welp, as you can see, there are a lot of exciting and crazy developments/drama/battles/character changes/surprises/etc. planned out. The sad thing is, what you've just read was already done in my head months ago, it's just that my mind works way faster than my fingers and I've been busy.

Stick with me though, I'll do my best and bring you good updates, trying to catch up to my mind (which is seriously already on Chapter 184 or something)

Quick question, was this chapter too big? Readers, is there such thing as a chapter too big for you guys? Would it have been better if I had chopped this in half as two chapters/updates?

Oh, and I really appreciate reviews, they get me going and give me the spirit necessary to do the actual work of copying down what my mind already saw, finished, and got bored with ages ago. 


	20. Morituri Te Salutant

Hey guys, trying my best to write more chapters. For those concerned over action-centric stuff and not enough romance, don't be deterred, stick with it. It's just the nature of this arc right now, it's a major Soul Society invasion arc, so the focus is on fighting and such things, expect romance, drama, action, and madness among other things. And remember, at this point in the story, no Romantic Pairings are absolute or concrete, feel free to provide suggestions, but don't be turned off if your favorite pairing doesn't look like it will happen. I plan this story to be long and awesome, stretching over many arcs, many fun things will happen and love is unpredictable. 

I encourage you all to read and especially review, all sorts of reviews and input get me going and boost up my energy to write more chapters.

Oh, and feel free to check out my forum, which features a Bleach RPG among other fun stuff.

www.coloholics.co.cc

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, settings, etc... Did you really need me to tell you that?_

* * *

**Soul Society **

**Seireitei**

Lieutenant Momo Hinamori stumbled forward as she continued lurking through the gloomy streets of Seireitei, glad no one had managed to stop her.

_I'll find you…Captain…I know it wasn't true, what I saw…that Ichimaru, he's behind this…there's no way that could have been…real…just like when I thought you had died…no…it was a trick…_

Suddenly, Hinamori stopped in her tracks and stood to face the strange figure who had appeared in front of her, as if it had been awaiting her.

It was a strange woman with tan skin and spiky-blonde hair in a strange white jacket that showed off her amazingly ample breasts.

Halibel smiled at the puzzled Lieutenant, baring her white Arrancar teeth like they were fangs as they very well could be.

Everything was going according to plan.

"Who are you? Are you with-"

Halibel's smile widened, her sword at her back, in one of her hands a piece of parchment she held aloft and read from in front of Hinamori.

"Captain Aizen sent me, he says he's quite glad to see you're well and that you were strong enough to survive Ichimaru's betrayal, as he prayed you were alright. He seeks your aid and return to his Division."

Momo Hinamori gasped, her body trembling.

* * *

**Hueco Mundo**

**Las Noches**

Former Captain Gin Ichimaru smirked, lazily leaning against Aizen's throne as he addressed the former Fifth Division Captain.

"You've got a crazy sense of humor, ya know, you think she'll buy it? And what about the girl and that Shinigami representative? Ya really think this'll all work out?"

"When has it not worked out, Gin? This is all just the beginning. I must thank Kaworu senpai for the distraction, however. He can be taken care of at our leisure when Soul Society is ours."

"Boy am I glad I'm on your side."

Sōsuke Aizen gave a leisurely sinister smile, looking away from Gin and speaking a number of simple words.

"Bankai, Kyōka Suigetsu, Hanabira Utsuri."

* * *

**Soul Society **

**Seireitei**

Suddenly, the notepad in Halibel's hand melted away, revealing a sword which she held aloft in front of Momo by the hilt with one ginger hand.

It looked familiar.

_Captain Aizen's __zanpakutō?!_

Indeed, Kyōka Suigetsu was held before her, blazing with strange energy. Lieutenant Hinamori found herself drawn to it, so by the time she felt Captain Aizen's arms wrapping around her from behind in a calming embrace, she was not surprised.

"C-Captain…"

"Yes Momo…I am glad you are well…are you ready to receive your orders?"

"Yes…Captain."

"Kill the first conspirator of Gin Ichimaru…Rukia Kuchiki…"

"Yes…my Captain…"

* * *

Shogo Kiriyama smirked, looking Ichigo Kurosaki up and down warily. The yellow eyes and massive spiritual pressure, as well as appearing so suddenly in the first place, would startle any other man, but Shogo Kiriyama was no man. Simply said, he was a beast.

"Well, well, what are you lookin' to find here, pup? A fight? Yer own death? The way you're looking at me with those eyes, you're either looking for a kill or a kiss, and I only do one of those with dudes…"

Ichigo Kurosaki stared at Shogo with fiery blazing eyes. Finally he spoke in a voice that, while not quite Hollow or quite Ichigo, would have startled his friends if any of them were around to hear.

"You never answered my question. You're one of Kaworu's goons, aren't you? I know you are…the bastard who looked down on me like that, who put Orihime and all of my friends in danger…even if it means turning myself into a monster, I'll kill all of you!"

Ichigo flashed forward with impressive speed, quickly swinging massive Zangetsu hurtling down towards Kiriyama in a simple-minded frontal slam. Shogo had remained still during Ichigo's reply, but the exiled Shinigami reacted with brutal grace now, ducking under Zangetsu's bite and blocking the sword at the hilt while simultaneously sending a hard roundhouse kick into Ichigo's gut.

The hapless Shinigami representative was quickly sent flying, hurtling into the air and into a wall behind him. He rose quickly from the rubble however, wiping the blood off of his cold lips.

Having managed to rise, Ichigo sprang forward once more, flashing towards Shogo to take the offensive despite the fact that Shogo hadn't yet drawn or utilized his own zanpakutō. Zangetsu hurtled in a wide side swing that cut through the air towards Kiriyama's right arm, only to continue swinging through the air as Kiriyama had gracefully leapt over the sword and delivered a brutal boot to the face at the fellow who had been swinging it.

Ichigo Kurosaki was once again sent slamming into the rough and unyielding stone scenery of Seireitei. His yellow eyes glinted at Shogo with everbrimming malice as he rose stubbornly once more, though he had to use Zangetsu plunged into the ground as a support this time around.

"Huh, I guess I'll have to go full power on you…No sense in wasting anymore time."

Shogo cocked his head to the side, glancing with venomously stressed disinterest at Ichigo while stretching out his arms and legs as if warming up for a footrace.

"Well you'd better show me full _somethin'_ kid; this is starting to bore the hell out of me."

"I'll turn myself into a monster, to destroy the monsters of this world! BANKAI, TENSA ZANGETSU!"

"Hahaha, now we're getting somewhere, I suppose I'll reciprocate kid…BANKAI, ISHIGAMI KUNIKO!"

Both of them presently exploded with monstrously massive power, Ichigo Kurosaki clothed in his familiar black robes with his long and slender ebony daitō drawn, while Shogo Kiriyama was even more monstrously muscular with two menacing knuckle dusters on each hand.

The two Shinigami rushed furiously at each other, none of them sparing a word or a moment as they clashed. Ichigo swung his blade down towards the bladeless Kiriyama, only to have Shogo intercept and block the swordblow against the flat of his right knuckle duster while the left was sent hurtling hard in a vicious punch that connected into the side of Ichigo's head.

Kurosaki spat out a terrible glob of blood and saliva, skidding back a couple feet and then rebounding back at Kiriyama, the deadly black Zangetsu swung in a hard downward blow at Shogo that required him to intercept it with both his knuckle dusters. Catching the blade between the steel of both his knuckles he pinned it and stopped it there only inches from connecting to his skull.

The two Shinigami growled and grimaced in that fixed position, pushing against each other's strength.

"Hmph…you're strong kid, not bad…you almost remind me of a younger me, if I were a weak-kneed pussy!"

Shogo snarled, sending Zangetsu flying back as he connected a rough right kick into Ichigo's gut. He quickly flashed directly behind the now flying Kurosaki, connecting his left elbow in a terrible blow to the back of Ichigo's skull.

The younger Shinigami was sent floating down into the ground from the brutal and merciless chain of events, just barely managing to drag himself up to his feet as the ringing and painful slams he had received reverberated in his body.

Ichigo growled from the pain, staring up indignantly at Shogo.

"Is that so?!"

"Did I stutter? You talk about turning yourself into a beast, into a monster, but you're not there, not close enough. You're nothing but a whiney little kid!"

Ichigo sprang back up towards Kiriyama, flashing through the air and bringing Zangetsu swinging in a wide side arc towards Shogo's face; an attack that was promptly blocked perpendicularly by Shogo's left knuckle duster. Though he had intercepted Ichigo's blade with his left knuckle duster and therefore had his right fist open to attack Ichigo, Shogo Kiriyama instead spat at Ichigo's face, snarling.

"You're nothing more than bark with no bite, you tryin' to turn a rabbit into a wolf and you'll find yerself ripped to pieces."

Ichigo Kurosaki grimaced, pushing Zangetsu harder into Shogo's left fist while reiatsu swirled around him.

"How's this for bite?!"

Shogo's eyes widened as a massive blast of energy swirled around the blade he had blocked only inches away from his head. He had no time to react as Ichigo fired off a massive black Getsuga Tenshō point-blank into his face.

Ichigo was sent flying backwards from his own reckless attack, though not without some satisfaction as he watched the massive explosion envelop Shogo's upper body and send the now surely dead Shinigami hurtling down into the ground.

True, the dust hadn't cleared as Ichigo Kurosaki approached Kiriyama's unmoving form in satisfaction, but surely all that lay beneath it were the gruesome remains of Shogo's shattered skull.

It was to much surprise and physical pain however that Ichigo felt a rough hand grip his right leg. Shogo Kiriyama's outstretched right hand as he lay there covered in dust and blood, but obviously quite alive with nothing but a couple bloody scratches on his face.

"What?!"

"Nice attack kid, I barely managed to soften that power of yours with a blast of my own, care to see?"

Ichigo's eyes widened as Kiriyama's right hand kept him painfully grounded there while his left hand knuckle duster and all flew into Kurosaki's gut.

Not even Kiriyama's own hand could hold down Kurosaki then, the resulting explosion from the connected punch sending Kurosaki flying backwards.

Ichigo skidded backwards alongside the ground, smoke and rubble rising around him, though he managed to stop himself inches away from a pillar behind him.

Only a second later however, the true power of the blast Kiriyama had connected with the punch to his stomach materialized, a ragged burn in the shape of Kiriyama's fist on Ichigo's chest while the pillar behind him exploded into dust from the power of what had just been sent flying through him.

Ichigo Kurosaki fell to his knees, this time spitting up a real gruesome fountain of blood from his mouth, gasping wildly for air.

_Im…possible…shit…shit…what did I go through all that for…wasn't it enough? I can't let it end here…more power…more power…_

_A menacingly familiar voice._

"_Ya sure that's wise, yer majesty? You remember our little talk…if you can't hold the reigns, I will…"_

"_Shut up!"_

Ichigo rose to his feet, though his body was swaying pretty unsteadily from the blows he had taken, gazing at the opponent approaching him.

Shogo Kiriyama gave a cruel merciless smile, both his fists blazing with fiery golden energy centered around the knuckle duster zanpakutō framing each fist, surely the same power he had used to give Ichigo a punch he certainly wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon.

"I forget what Ishizuchi calls that move…somethin' stupid I guess, I like to call it 'Granite's Fist of Ultimate Fuckin' Explosion Power'. Not that what it's called matters to a dead man like you, all you gotta know is the feel of my reiatsu concentrated in my punches rippin' ya to pieces. They used to call me 'Knockout Kiriyama' back in the academy, and that wasn't just on account of my looks, kid."

"Shut up, you bastard!"

"Tch, guess you're right for once, weakling. Enough talk, I'm jus' gonna end this now. You're a pitiful excuse for a 'beast', especially when yer bite can't even get past my power and send my blood flyin'."

Kurosaki growled, swaying back and forth while trying to keep his blade centered in the direction of his approaching opponent. Certainly worried about how long he could still remain conscious, Ichigo jumped back into the offensive again regardless of how risky that was because of his current state.

"How's this for 'bite', you son of a bitch!"

Flash-stepping wildly forward with speed that startled even Shogo Kiriyama, certainly because the brutal Shinigami hadn't expected this much power left in his younger opponent, Ichigo sent Zangetsu slashing viciously into Kiriyama's chest in a long-winding slash that started downwardly aimed up towards the sky.

The blow sent Kiriyama flying up into the air along with a rain of the blood that had been sent flying up from the deep cut now slashed into his chest. Ichigo watched in satisfaction as Shogo flew up, though this satisfaction was turned into confused trepidation as Shogo finally landed onto the ground on his own stable feet.

True, Kiriyama was covered in blood and sweat, but the cut on his chest was gone, as if it had never been delivered. Had Ichigo's slash even connected? The confusion sent Kurosaki into a self-doubting state of weak paranoia, wondering if his opponent's deceptive speed had fooled him.

Meanwhile Shogo simply stared at Ichigo with a superior bluster, raising an eyebrow as he spoke in his purposefully overdramatic booming voice.

"What'd I tell you, huh? You talk about turning yourself into a beast, into a monster, but it's not there, it's all for show, kid. You're still grounded, still too human, still too weak and still not strong enough to deliver that fatal blow."

Ichigo's eyes with their fierce yellow irises widened as he looked up from his own self-doubt and gazed at Shogo.

"I'm right, ain't I, ya fangless beast? You've never even killed a man, have ya, 'hero'? You talk of emotion and rage and becomin' a monster, but you've never even taken the life of another. I can feel yourself holdin' back with every fuckin' blow. You're _nothing_."

Ichigo snarled, flashing forward and sending Zangetsu slashing in a wild right attack which Shogo simply leapt over, gracefully landing a few feet away from Kurosaki.

"It's a rush, ya know…I remember the first kid I killed, screamed his lil' lungs out. You're no Shinigami, none of ya are! That's what being a Shinigami means, taking lives, being the Death God! The feeling of taking the life of another, that power, that's what it fuckin' means to be a _God_. I follow the Captain 'cuz he gives me the freedom to truly be a _Shinigami_."

Kurosaki snarled, slashing his blade forward across the dusty ground to send a massive black Getsuga Tenshō hurtling across the ground towards his opponent only a dozen feet away now. However Shogo quickly react, bringing both his knuckle dusters pulsing with powerful reiatsu together into a rough smashing blow that sent his fiery golden energy blasting forward in two fist-shaped ripples that quickly intercepted and canceled out the Getsuga Tenshō in an impressive explosion of mixed gold and black reiatsu.

The explosion and dust disappeared almost as quickly as it had been created, revealing Shogo unharmed standing in the same position he had been when Ichigo had fired off the Getsuga Tenshō only seconds later.

"Heh, so much emotion, huh kid? But not enough to be a raging monster, just enough to cripple ya and turn you into a whiney bitch though. How about I go find those friends of yours, eh? The Captain told me about 'em, maybe that nice red-headed piece with the big rack, teach 'em a thing or two about goodtimes and then cut them into enough pieces to garnish all of fuckin' Soul Society. That touch a nerve? Lookit yer fuckin' face!"

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! YOU BASTARD!"

Ichigo roared furiously at the reference to Orihime and Shogo's insults, hurtling forward at bankai speed and swinging Zangetsu in a swift sideswipe at Kiriyama, only to have Shogo catch the blade with both his bare hands. A little blood seeped from Shogo's clenched fists, but he seemed at ease, holding onto Zangetsu and clearly stopping the grimacing Ichigo from yanking his sword away.

"Like I was sayin', you're no beast, just a kid play-actin'. A beast with no fangs…You don't know what it means to take lives, to revel in the spilled blood of yer opponent, you're no _monster_, you're a man. And a man can never beat a monster _like me!_"

Shogo Kiriyama released Zangetsu and sent a hard boot into Ichigo's gut, more dismissive than at full power, the kick sending Ichigo stumbling a few feet backwards.

"You talk about makin' a deal with the devil, selling your soul to save yer friends, becoming a beast, blah blah blah, it's all fuckin' useless. I'm made of stronger stuff than you, kid. You can't be a beast when ya got no bite!"

Ichigo's face seemed frenzied now as he rushed forward towards Shogo after hearing those words, as much frenzied with rage as with desperation.

"How's this for bite, you bastard?!"

Both Ichigo and Shogo's eyes widened in surprise as Ichigo's enraged blow struck home, Zangetsu sliding straight through the muscular Kiriyama's gut and out his back.

However, as the blood began to pour profusely out of the massive wound piercing Shogo in twain, Kiriyama's widened eyes of surprise slowly relaxed. A relaxation that from any other man in this position would signal death approaching. In this case however, Kiriyama's eyes were relaxing at of a pleasant relief, his hands reaching out and grabbing the sword pierced within it and yanking it out of his body as if it were a mere toy.

Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes widened even more as Zangetsu fell blooded at his feet and the wound in Shogo Kiriyama's chest began to heal, flesh growing over the bloody mess that would surely have spelled death for any other man.

"What?!"

"Like I said, I'm made of stronger stuff than you, kid."

"Shit, that can't be possible!"

Shogo Kiriyama smirked, lifting up his fist and aiming a brutal punch at Ichigo's face.

"How's this for possible you-"

Suddenly, a familiar voice interrupted, bringing sanity back into Ichigo's ears.

"BANKAI, Hihiō Zabimaru!"

_Renji?!_

Shogo Kiriyama spun around in surprise at the strange and annoying interruption to his battle, just in time to see the massive snake-like head of the giant serpent Zabimaru bite into him.

* * *

Kaworu grit his teeth, summoning himself out of his painful revelry and back into the current situation, continuing gingerly forward on tired legs.

He had been so absorbed with his flashback he had actually imagined a girl's giggle at some point, probably Yoruichi's, though oddly enough it had seemed rather child-like and high-pitched.

Kaworu's eyes widened as he heard it again, except this time the girl's voice spoke in a cute singsong from around the corner behind him, and Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai suddenly realized he should have paid more attention to his surroundings.

"Yaaaaaay, toldja we'd find him eventually! I'm the greatest, teehee!"

_A little girl?_ _Then…what's this…what's this spiritual pressure I'm feeling?! There's someone else with her?_

Suddenly, Kaworu looked down at his feet and noticed sourly that there was a shadow looming over him…a giant silhouette right behind him and the sound of…

_A bell ringing? What the-_

Suddenly then, a gruff voice issued from whomever had appeared, accompanied by almost demonic rough laughter.

"HAVEN'T YOU HEARD? EVERYTIME A BELL RINGS, AN ANGEL GETS HIS WINGS!"

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai had just enough time to spin around and glimpse Captain Kenpachi Zaraki's sword hurtling right at his face.

"Kowasu, _Inazuma._"

And so, Kenpachi's mighty blade was intercepted just before it could tear into Kaworu's face, Inazuma the cross-spear blocking Zaraki ably though Kaworu himself was sent skidding back a few feet by Kenpachi's intense strength.

"Hahaha, so you were worth the trouble of finding you! You're definitely the bastard who beat Ichigo! This is gonna be fun!"

Kaworu grit his teeth, just barely dodging as Kenpachi slammed his blade down into the ground, finding himself scrambling wildly from each of Zaraki's vicious blows.

It was as much of a testament to Kenpachi's immense power as it was to how tired and spent Kaworu was on account of all of the battles he had been through especially the most recent one requiring the release of Inazuma's taxing final limit against Captains Ukitake and Shunsui.

The next wild swing Kenpachi sent forward was blocked by Kaworu's spear once more, however the force of the blow sent Kaworu flying backwards and crashing into the walls of the corridor they were dueling viciously inside of.

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai quickly jumped back to his feet and raced forward, using his spear to vault up and then quickly bringing it down in a hard swing towards Kenpachi's face.

Zaraki quickly parried the blow and brought his sword sliding along Kaworu's spear so fiercely that spark flew and the exiled Shinigami Captain was sent crashing hard into the ground.

_Shit…what's this guy made of? Am I really going to have to use my bankai? If my strength won't end this fight, my speed will. _

Kaworu grit his teeth, flashing forward with startling nimble speed and appearing far too quickly for Kenpachi, directly behind the 11th Division Captain with Inazuma's spear point hurtling towards his back.

However, as the cross-spear crashed into its target, Kaworu noticed in disbelief that it hadn't even drawn blood. His spear was simply prodding into Kenpachi's back but hadn't actually cut into his flesh.

Zaraki cocked his head around to glance at Kaworu, a sour look on his face.

"That really all you got? Don't tell me yer power's a fluke, you're gonna need more than that speed to cut _me_! And I thought I'd have some fun here!"

"Fun?!"

Kaworu ducked nimbly under another one of Kenpachi's vicious swipes, the power of the blade's slash carving a mark into a stone pillar directly behind them.

Kenpachi smirked grimly.

"Yeah, 'fun', you know, puttin' your life on the line, blade against blade, cutting, killing, dying, there isn't anything better than that! Let me show ya!"

Kaworu brought his head and spear up as Kenpachi spoke, just in time to intercept and block yet another one of Zaraki's vicious sword swings with his own spear.

"Fun? You think fighting and dying is fun? You're nothing but a dog! A beast!"

Captain Zaraki Kenpachi gave a bemused disinterested grin at Kaworu's words, bringing his sword back and swinging it towards Kaworu's chest, only to have Kaworu block it with the length of his spear and skid back a few feet as he strained to contain Kenpachi's strength.

"A beast, huh? I thought you were a fighter, battling Ichigo and the other Captains like that, threatening Soul Society! You're gonna bore me with words like that, let your weapon do the talking!"

Kaworu grit his teeth, flashing backwards and using his speed and momentum to rebound against a pillar behind him and hurtle back towards Kenpachi with a vicious spear-thrust aimed at the Captain's face.

Zaraki for his part brought his blade slamming hard against the attack, sending Kaworu's spear off-target, and then sent his sword swinging up along the spear towards Kaworu's face.

Kaworu stumbled backwards from the blow that he hadn't been completely able to miss, his face bleeding from the cut Kenpachi's sword had carved into his left cheek.

"Heh, looks like I drew first blood."

"Fighting? Fun? I kill because I have to, I fight because I have no choice. This isn't pleasure, this is my _duty as a Captain._ I _shall_ avenge those my father killed, including me, and I shall bring balance to Soul Society, even if that means burning it to dust!"

Kenpachi sighed in disinterest, his long sword cradled lazily against one shoulder.

"Tch, cut all that boring bullshit about duty and not having any choice. Fighting is all about putting your life on the line and enjoying your blood flowin'. All the other stuff is just bullshit yer usin' to get the fights going! ALL OF LIFE ITSELF IS JUST AN EXCUSE FOR BATTLE!"

Zaraki Kenpachi rushed forward once more, not out of rage or necessity, more of a great need to have that massive battle he thought he deserved. Kaworu quickly sent his spear stabbing towards Kenpachi's chest, only for the massive Captain to block the shaft of the spear with his sword and then send his other hand forward in a fierce punch at Kaworu's face engineered the wake him up and get him going already.

Kaworu skidded backwards, his lip bleeding as he just barely managed to collect enough attention to bring his spear's shaft up laterally to the ground to block a hard downward slash from Kenpachi's sword.

The sword was intercepted and blocked and both Shinigami strained their strength and power as their weapons pressed into each other. Kenpachi however, clearly had the upper hand, Kaworu's eyes widening as he suddenly realized that the stone ground beneath his feet was cracking from the pressure of Kenpachi pushing down against him and his spear.

By the second he looked back up, it was too late to react, Kenpachi's sword cutting clear through Inazuma's shaft, rending it in two and slashing viciously into Kaworu's body.

_Shit!_

Kaworu fell to his knees, his spear zanpakutō cut apart along with his body, blood pouring out of the wide slash that had been delivered to him by the tall spiky-haired Captain now standing before him.

"Tsk, don't tell me you're gonna die already! And here I was thinkin' this was gonna be a fun fight."

Zaraki Kenpachi sighed, turning around and sheathing his sword as he continued speaking in genuine disrespect and disinterest.

"No fun in fighting you, I guess the strength I sensed was just a fluke. Killing isn't fun when it's taking the life of someone not strong enough to take yours."

Suddenly a faint whisper behind Kenpachi, though he didn't heed it enough to turn around, Kaworu still sounded weak and on his knees and Zaraki never cared about words anyway.

"**Killing is never fun…"**

"_Would you? Leave this place, this land of duty and law, this land where you were raised…leave this land where you hold such supreme position…leave this land for your heart and mine?"_

_Yoruichi trembled, tears running down her face._

"_I know what I have to do…my Kaworu…my Okami…"_

_Kaworu smiled lovingly, taking this as an affirmative response, his hand reaching to pull her in a kiss._

_Suddenly, however, his brow furrowed, and he sighed, shaking his head._

"_I'm sorry."_

"_I…understand…but…did it have to be so…ruthless, Ichi-chan?"_

_The young man fell to the ground and coughed up violent streams of his own crimson blood, staring at the blade sticking out of his chest. The blade Yoruichi had stuck into him._

"**Fighting, is never worthwhile…"**

"_Shut up! SHUT UP! It's not like that, Kaworu!"_

_Kisuke Urahara rose angrily, his hand reaching to his hip, though it halted as Kaworu smiled and spoke._

"_I SEE how it is. You would draw Benihime against me, would you? Either way, you have no problem with killing me where I stand."_

"_Kaworu…please…I have no choice. Think of your actions, I do not wish to draw my blade against you. But you give me no choice."_

"…**but I, a dead man with neither a soul nor a heart, I can fight and kill if only to redeem this broken world. If you want…to truly understand the price of death and battle, then I will show you."**

"_Wait…are you not curious who dealt me such a wound?"_

_Kaworu glanced away at his old dying uncle's probing eyes, as if he wished to hide something or didn't want to say something in response._

"_Ah…so you already have an inkling who did it to me, is that it? I can see sadness in your eyes, despite the brutality of your strength and the crimes done unto you…I can feel from the spirits in that battlefield far away that you __killed no one__! Tell me boy, even now you feel a flinching mercy and emotion for that bastard Urahara and that wench Shihoun, is that so?"_

_Kaworu's fists trembled as they clenched and unclenched, and he looked down at his uncle silently._

"**BAN.."**

"_Must we fight like this, Kaworu?! Is there no other way?"_

_Kaworu stared down coldly at Yoruichi Shihoun, his tattooed hands trembling around his spear. He seemed to leak danger and spiritual power._

There is no other way, my Yoruichi. Only through destruction can I create paradise…

"**KAI."**

* * *

Lieutenant Renji Abarai's eyes narrowed, pleased by the fact that he had managed to strike former Lieutenant Shogo Kiriyama with a surprise attack, even now Zabimaru had Kiriyama in its mouth and was dragging and slamming the exiled Shinigami across the walls of the corridor, surely dealing major damage.

However he was still weak and tired from the previous events in Soul Society and he had witnessed at least a glimpse of Shogo's strength against Ichigo when he had arrived.

_For Ichigo to be so helpless against this bastard…even if Ichigo's a punk, this guy has to be strong…Can I really win this, Rukia?_

Suddenly Renji's eyes widened as he noticed Zabimaru had stopped its rampaging route, halted entirely as Shogo Kiriyama had finally brought his feet down into the ground and was actually holding the massive serpent's mouth at bay with his bulging muscles.

"This all you got, you punk!?

_Shit! I've got to give this all I got…he's right next to Zabimaru, I can do this point-blank!_

"Hikōtsu Taihō!"

Shogo barely had time to react as a massive pulsing ball of energy grew within Zabimaru's mouth and swept right at him.

The explosion rocked the area, but when the dust cleared, Renji was sent into a hopeless stupor at the sight that awaited him.

Shogo Kiriyama stood there as stubbornly as the massive serpent Zabimaru, still gripping the mouth of the beast that had just blasted him, his straining tan muscular body covered in scratches and dust but not really any worse for wear.

Renji's eyes widened as he tore Zabimaru's skull-head right off the segmented serpent body, hurling it wildly at Lieutenant Abarai.

Renji instinctively dodged it and let it slam into the ground below, but both he and Ichigo quickly learned this was a mistake as Shogo Kiriyama appeared right next to the now distracted Lieutenant.

"Hahaha, got ya punk!"

"Shit!"

"Renji!"

Ichigo Kurosaki flashed forward to aid his comrade, but was far too late, Shogo's powerful fist slamming into Renji's gut and a subsequent kick sending the Shinigami Lieutenant flying hard into the wall behind him, clearly knocked out.

"Dammit! Renji!"

"That was a nice distraction, but you should worry more about yerself, kid."

Ichigo's eyes widened as Shogo Kiriyama appeared directly behind him.

* * *

Kisuke Urahara's eyes narrowed at the familiar spiritual pressures raging about in the distance, trying desperately along with Captain Sajin Komamaru to detect Ichigo Kurosaki's position.

Rukia Kuchiki walked along as well, nearly as worried about the fact that she had felt Renji Abarai's spiritual presence appear fullblast and then subsequently disappear almost completely.

_Renji? Ichigo? What have you gotten yourselves into now? Don't tell me it's HIM…_

Orihime accompanied them but seemed rather distant as she stared off into space, her mind and heart clearly dwelling on Ichigo and the strange things she had felt inside of him. She, a young woman who could sense Ichigo's scent, feel his heart, she could definitely tell that something was wrong inside of him.

Chad could only look on at his friends in concern.

Suddenly Sajin's Lieutenant Tetsuzaemon Iba appeared alongside the massive captain in a quick flash, not taking much note of Kisuke or the two girls.

"Iba."

"Captain…the Captain-Commander has issued a direct order to all Captains and Divisions to cease any battle they're involved in and immediately return their headquarters. Supposedly anyone engaging the intruders will be convicted of treason immediately."

Komamaru's brow wrinkled and he glanced silently at Kisuke, who seemed to give a shrug in response.

Rukia's eyes widened as she digested this and the preposterousness of the Captain-Commanders decision. Was he trying to hide the situation or meet it headlong himself? How would they ever find Ichigo with these conditions?

Komamaru sighed, shaking his great head.

"I suppose we haven't much choice under the circumstances. We shall return to headquarters for now, Iba. There are many yet wounded it is better we return and contemplate the next prudent move."

"Yes, Captain."

"You had better return to your own Captain, Miss Kuchiki."

Rukia looked up, still engrossed with worried thoughts regarding Renji and Ichigo.

"But, Captain Koma-"

Kisuke Urahara interrupted her with a sly grin.

"Orders are orders, you know, don't bother old Sajin about that. You'd better follow them. There are some who can work for the good of Soul Society outside its orders and laws, an old friend of me once taught me that."

"Urahara…"

Kisuke turned around, taking note of a black cat prowling about a dozen feet away.

"I suppose Yoruichi and I will violate the Captain-Commander's orders and continue our pursuit of Kaworu and search for Ichigo. Sometimes ya gotta break the rules to get things going."

Urahara quickly flashed away, as did the ebony feline, leaving Lieutenant Iba to turn to his Captain curiously.

"Uh…Captain, are you really gonna let them do that?"

Captain Komamaru looked down solemnly at Iba, Chad, Rukia, and Orihime, and then resolutely at the Shrine of Penitence in the distance, his fox ears twitching slightly.

"Let who do what? Unfortunately, my ears seem to be failing me today."

Rukia Kuchiki smiled, it seemed these days there were people one could count on.

* * *

Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai sighed as he sat atop his command throne in his executive chambers, feeling the weight of centuries of brutal and absolute decisions on his shoulders.

His fierce, powerful eyes showed no real emotion, simply an unyielding sense of justice and inevitable fate.

He knew the inevitable would occur, the traitor, his son, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai would manage to reach him. To put more of the Gotei 13 between himself and his son would ultimately prove destructive. There was no reason to make others suffer for his mistakes, he would wait and he would defeat his raging son personally and permanently…for the good of Soul Society.

He would have to wait and bide his time, he knew that familiar face would soon walk through those massive chambers doors as he had so many times centuries ago…as he had that final time.

_Kaworu strode forward determined towards his father, who in response rose as well, reaching for the sword at his own hip._

"_You will realize that life is complex and unfair. That sometimes, lives must be taken for the world to be balanced!"_

_A massive burst of flame hurtled all around them as the old man spoke these words, but Kaworu seemed mostly unharmed. _

"_It's called slaughter!"_

"_It is called order, boy! This isn't show and tell! This isn't a child's game! This is ORDER. THIS IS PUNISHMENT!"_

_Kaworu only smirked, charging forward to meet his father's outstretched blade._

Yes…some things you have to do yourself…

* * *

Ichigo Kurosaki's eyes widened and then shut in agonizing pain as Shogo Kiriyama delivered yet another high-powered punch into his body.

The blast sent Ichigo flying, coughing up more blood, the blows all having hammered into his internal bones and organs.

_Shit! Shit! Don't tell me I'm STILL NOT STRONG ENOUGH! He took care of Renji that quickly?!_

Ichigo flashed forward as he felt his body racked with pain and weakness, sending a slash of his black blade into Shogo Kiriyama's chest.

Once again, it sliced through, cutting into Kiriyama's flesh, but only seconds later the flesh healed itself as it had been doing dozens of times over the last few minutes after Ichigo's hapless and wild attacks.

"How?!"

Shogo Kiriyama sneered as Ichigo screamed out that reasonable question and attacked once more, slamming his right hand directly through Ichigo's Zangetsu so it was pierced by the blade. Letting it impale his hand, he slid it down and clenched Ichigo's right swordhand and the hilt so hard that it shattered every bone in Ichigo's fingers.

"AUGHHHHHHHHHH!"

"I told you, I'm made of stronger stuff than you, punk. This is nothing for a man who has taken more lives than God and the Devil combined! My bankai gives me this power, the power of a god, regeneration! A weak mutt like you can't cut my body! A mutt like you has no fangs, so maybe you oughta be neutered!"

Ichigo Kurosaki let out a horrifying scream as Shogo Kiriyama pulled his right arm right out of it socket, the man's unholy strength breaking the bones of Ichigo's shoulder and then simply tearing it off, flesh, nerves, bone and all. He let it and the black blade still clutched in its hands slowly fall to the floor as Ichigo continued to scream and descend into unconsciousness because of the pain and horror of suddenly getting his arm pulled off as if Shogo had been leisurely eating a crab.

_NO! I DON'T WANNA DIE! I don't wanna die…I don't wanna die…_

* * *

"_I don't wanna die…I don't wanna die…I don't want TO DIE!"_

"_Neither do I, punk."_

_Ichigo Kurosaki grimaced looking up to see his almost identical white counterpart. At least in this world his right arm was still connected to his body._

"_You remember what I said, yer majesty…This king and horse relationship ain't gonna work anymore."_

"_I said I'd give up my soul, but I'm no horse, you bastard!"_

"_Still, ya can't continue on without working with me, can you? You've been feelin' the changes, seeing them even. Even if your personality and mind are still intact, I'm slowly taking over as much territory of your body and soul that I deserve."_

_Ichigo grit his teeth, looking down at the side of the building they were standing on, while Hollow Ichigo continued speaking menacingly._

"_So you need me as much as I need you kid. I understand you ain't in the mood to be a horse, and that's fine, you've proved you're worth more than that at least. But I'm sure we can come to a…coexisting agreement…"_

_Ichigo looked up, trembling._

"_Coexisting, huh? And will that be enough power, enough power to save them? To save Orihime?!"_

"_Heh…more than enough…"_

"_Then…"_

"_We have an agreement…you won't be my horse, but don't count on me being yours either, kid. Instead, let's have one king reign this place…let a shadow descend upon your heart and soul…"_

_Clouds loomed over the two Ichigos, draping the land in their ominous shadows and covering while the two figures stepped closer to each other and stabbed their blades into each other's hearts._

_They both fell to their knees, both of them having finally lost and won their own private battles, sacrificing their own differing issues to become something different, something stronger._

* * *

Shogo Kiriyama's eyes widened in surprise as a curtain of dark shadowy reiatsu burst out of the torn bloodied stump at Ichigo Kurosaki's shoulder where he had yanked the latter's right arm right off.

Ichigo Kurosaki stared coldly at Shogo, the dark shadow slowly materializing and forming into a new right hand, the shadow finalizing into Ichigo's actual flesh and muscle, including the black sleeve that had been ripped off along with Ichigo's arm.

"What?!"

Ichigo looked up at Shogo with his eyes, and it was then that Kiriyama realized they were no longer yellow or brown, instead they were two pure murky black iris-less pools that seemed to reflect no light at all.

"You're sounding pretty confused for a bastard who can regenerate his wounds. If you've got the power of a god, then I've got the power of the devil. This is the devil's deal."

Shogo grit his teeth.

"Shit! Whatever, fancy trick, but it won't mean a fuckin' thing, you punk!"

Kiriyama sprang forward, punching through the air in Ichigo's direction despite the fact that he was dozens of feet away. The punch send a massive rippling wave of golden energy flying out towards Ichigo.

However Kurosaki flashed away from its path effortlessly, reappearing directly behind Shogo and sending Zangetsu slashing viciously into Shogo's back.

The blow sent Kiriyama skidding away in confusion, but the wound Ichigo had slashed into him was already healing by the time he turned to look back at Ichigo in confusion.

_His speed is up?!_

"What?!"

Ichigo smiled.

"You're the Death God, aren't you? You wanted a beast to battle…"

"Tch! Shut yer fuckin' mouth!"

"You see, it may have looked like I was unconscious in there for a couple of minutes…But for me, it was a century. And during that time, I killed. I killed myself, Ichigo Kurosaki, over and over. There's your taking lives, here's your beast."

Ichigo flashed forward once more, his speed growing steadily each second, leaving shadowy afterimages with each step.

_Shit! I can see you, you punk! _

Shogo increased his speed as well, the two blurry figures flashing and speeding alongside each other along the stone roofs of Seireitei, Shogo finally noticing he was backing Ichigo up along the edge of one of the buildings despite Kurosaki's increase of speed.

_This is it…I've got you trapped, ya fuckin' worm!_

Shogo Kiriyama sprang forward, both fists pulsing with spiritual energy as he cornered Ichigo Kurosaki at the edge of the stone roof.

Only to have Ichigo Kurosaki's entire shape twist to avoid the vicious punching blasts, his entire shadow form twisting itself and warping around to Shogo Kiriyama's back just in time to plunge Zangetsu into the exiled Shinigami's back.

"Tch, I told you punk, I'm made of stronger stuff than-"

Shogo Kiriyama stopped talking as he suddenly noticed something. His feet were hanging out over open air. Ichigo had thrust his sword into Kiriyama's back and sent him off the edge, the only thing stopping Shogo from falling being the blade in his body hanging him off the edge like a fish on the hook.

_Shit?! Was he planning this? I thought I cornered him on the edge?!_

Shogo Kiriyama spat blood as he looked down at the sword pierced through his chest. This time, the cut was _not_ regenerating.

"Shit! You fucking bastard! How did you-"

Ichigo Kurosaki smirked, holding Zangetsu's hilt steadily in both hands as the black blade held his opponent dangling.

"I noticed earlier…it was only a few seconds long, but it was enough…the time I slashed you and you flew up in the air…I noticed you didn't actually heal until you landed onto the ground."

"So-"

_Flash-stepping wildly forward with speed that startled even Shogo Kiriyama, certainly because the brutal Shinigami hadn't expected this much power left in his younger opponent, Ichigo sent Zangetsu slashing viciously into Kiriyama's chest in a long-winding slash that started downwardly aimed up towards the sky. _

_The blow sent Kiriyama flying up into the air along with a rain of the blood that had been sent flying up from the deep cut now slashed into his chest. Ichigo watched in satisfaction as Shogo flew up, though this satisfaction was turned into confused trepidation as Shogo finally landed onto the ground on his own stable feet._

_True, Kiriyama was covered in blood and sweat, but the cut on his chest was gone, as if it had never been delivered. Had Ichigo's slash even connected?_

"Yeah, I figured it out. You said you had the power of a god, I remember hearing about that in class…the labors of Heracles…the son of the Earth, Antaeus, whose strength would regenerate as long as his feet remained on his mother. I'm not all muscle, you know, I have some brains."

"Tch…you fuckin' kid, I'm gonna tear you apart…"

_Once I get myself fixed up…gotta get off this fuckin' sword._

To Shogo Kiriyama, the fall off the edge was irrelevant, he'd survive it and regenerate to fight another day. What mattered was getting off the sword stopping him from touching the ground, and he could feel his body weakening already. To think a sword through the chest would finally have some effect after all the men he had killed and fatal wounds he had brushed off because of his extraordinary abilities.

He grasped Zangetsu's black blade with both unsteady hands, viciously trying to push himself off the blade and let himself fall to the welcoming ground below. However each time he tried, Ichigo would simply lift him higher on the blade, gravity settling him down deeper onto Zangetsu.

_Shit…not like this…not against some…fucking twerp…_

For once, his wounds were not healing, and his great muscular body so toned and trained was finally reaching its limit, his breaths growing strained.

Former Lieutenant of Fifth Division under the great Captain Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai, Commander of the Special Forces, Shogo Kiriyama felt his eyes fluttering as he looked down at the blade piercing his body. Blood seeped down and dripped through the air to the distant ground he so yearned to touch. Even his abilities wouldn't regenerate him now.

lubb-dubb…

_"Hey Shogo! Did you hear? That new Captain, the Captain-Commander's son, he's taken an interest in you!"_

_Shogo Kiriyama gave a foul smirk to his fellow Shinigami academy student, clenching his knuckles._

_"Heh, glad that spoiled brat sees something in me, let's see if I can't pound some sense into his skull..."  
_

_  
_lubb-dubb…

_  
Kaworu stood dominantly over Shogo's charred body, offering the Shinigami a helping hand up.  
Shogo coughed, struggling to stand even with Kaworu's help._

_"Lightning? You...cheap sonnuvabitch..."_

_Kaworu smirked, helping the Shinigami up and surveying his wounded body._

_"Come now, Shogo, you're a promising fellow, but it's clear who won this battle. What say you come drinking with me and Kisuke and we discuss your future in my division?"_

_Shogo gave a foul curse on Kaworu's mother, spitting on the ground, but his eyes were full of mirth._

_  
_lubb-dubb…_  
_

_  
"Shit...Captain...did you have to do that? You fucking...bastard."_

_Shogo stood with Kaworu's cross-spear pierced into his gut and the Shinigami Captain quickly slid him off the weapon, making the Shinigami Lieutenant fall to his knees and spew blood from the hole in his stomach.  
Kaworu gave Shogo a calm friendly smile, those same confident eyes that had just outclassed Shogo in power now offering his Lieutenant friendship and a promise of power in the future. This was all Shogo cared about, after all, getting stronger...stronger than his Captain, stronger than all these bastards..._

_"Come now, Shogo...your abilities are quite a marvel, you're the only one here other than Kisuke who can duel with me and come out of it alive."_

_"Tsss, you call this alive, you fucker?! I've got a...shit...hole in my gut..."_

_Kaworu smirked, offering Shogo a helping hand to stand._

_"Eloquently put as ever, Lieutenant Kiriyama."_

_Shogo smirked, taking his Captain's hand and rising once more._

lubb-dubb…

Shogo hung there pierced and bleeding, his vision blurring as his trembling hand reached out towards a spectral Kaworu that only he saw, waiting for his Captain to help him up to his feet and laugh it off, like always.

"So...this is how...it...feels..."

Shogo Kiriyama's heart stopped beating.

* * *

Captain Zaraki Kenpachi's eyes widened. This level of power, he had heard of such things, dreamed of such things, perhaps like the Captain-Commander's.

"Hahahaha! This is gonna be fun as hell!"

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai stared Kenpachi down stoically, the trident-like bankai form of Inazuma held grimly in one hand.

"Tch, why're you lookin' so serious! This is gonna be fun as hell, let's see who dies first!"

"To think I'd have to use bankai against you. You're nothing but a mere beast, a monster, the lowest level of existence. You might as well be a Hollow. A monster cannot beat a man, not a man like me."

"Ugh, cut all that bullshit and show me your talkin' with your weapon!"

"So be it."

Kenpachi's eyes widened for the first time. Those last three words had been directly behind him, the Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai in front of him was gone…suddenly, searing pain.

How many blows had Kaworu delivered to him in that split-second? How long had it taken for him to do so and then gracefully land behind Zaraki Kenpachi without the giant man registering it fast enough to respond?

Kenpachi stumbled, a giant spiky-tower whose foundations had crumbled, the Captain barely managing to stop himself from falling over completely as blood splashed freely from the cornucopia of wounds all over his body.

"Shit?! What?!"

"Can even a beast with a self-professed lack of heart and lack of care about anything other than killing and fighting feel fear, I wonder?"

"Tch, don't get so fuckin' overconfident!"

Kenpachi replied brazenly, using his sword to bring himself back to his feet and laughing wildly at the top of his lungs.

"All this means is I can finally go full-power! It's just starting to get interesting!"

Kenpachi let out a boisterous laugh, tearing off his power-inhibiting eye patch with one hand, his massive reiatsu finally released to its full potential swirling around him in a wild hurricane of power that it seemed nothing could pierce through.

Kaworu however, watched Kenpachi with a marked disinterest and disgust, as one would stare at a dying wild dog.

"Is that your full power, dog? Even now, I can hear your zanpakutō crying, you don't even know its name, do you? Relying on pure bestial strength like that…it's doable, but ultimately all it means is your death."

Kenpachi laughed wildly, slashing his sword in the air, the pure power of the slash slicing apart one of the pillars around them and sending it crashing a few feet against Kaworu who remained unmoving.

"I don't need any fancy tricks like that, they're bullshit! All I need is my beating heart and my sword, if anything stands in front of it I'll cut into it and let it cut into me until it stops moving! Cut your crap and show me you're worthy enough for me to kill ya!"

Kaworu clenched his fists, staring resolutely at Kenpachi, his own reiatsu suddenly bursting forward at this bankai level, swirling violently around him.

"And, thinking like that, like a beast, like a monster, how long do you think you can win? What happens when you fight a bigger monster?"

"Tch, then I'll die after I take him down with me, reveling in the glory of the fight!"

"I see…"

Kaworu continued talking as he resolutely began to move forward towards Zaraki Kenpachi and his swirling spiritual power, surrounded by his own heavy reiatsu as well.

"…the difference between our strength is like night and day…You call yourself a Captain? Your job is to defend Soul Society and your Division, I don't care if you're some blood lusting monster, abandoning your duties and sanity because of that…I shall warp and erase this existence and create a more perfect one lacking such mongrels such as you. You're nothing but a spoiled child, thinking death is some irrelevant thing…You have to win and fight for what you believe in, even if it means stepping down on a fight or relying on the power of others…"

Kenpachi sneered.

"That's for cowards…using the powers of allies or zanpakutō, talking about reasons for fighting or retreating...that shit is complex, cowardly, bullshit. It's simple, zanpakutō are nothing but tools of war, no better than the fuckers who wield them…nothing matters but cutting and killing and fighting, and the feeling of the fight. Death is just the final battle!"

"I see…"

Kenpachi's eyes widened as Kaworu strolled forward as he muttered those words, his hand piercing directly through Kenpachi's fiery hurricane of reiatsu and slamming into the Captain's face in an open-palm push that smashed Kenpachi's head effortlessly into the wall behind him.

"What?!"

"You're nothing but a fatalistic cliché…a reckless fool who strayed too long in the land of beasts, not realizing that depending on nothing but your bestial strength puts you in a bit of a dilemma when you meet a bigger beast. If all you have are your muscles, I shall tear every one of them asunder."

Kenpachi spat out blood, not sure if this excited or enraged him, Kaworu delivering a vicious punch into his gut and then slamming his head back into the wall.

"A mere beast not worth the price of that fine haori weaved to symbolize your leadership. Men like you who turn themselves into monsters are the lowest of the low. He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man? Pain and empathy are what tell us we are alive and worthwhile, a beast may not care about anything or feel pain, but a beast is also utterly…"

Kenpachi's eyes widened once more, not having time or strength to react as Kaworu lifted up his great spear Inazuma and slammed it straight through Zaraki Kenpachi's chest. The three-prongs of the spear pierced straight through and out Kenpachi's back, Kaworu slamming it forward and into the wall behind Kenpachi so that the 11th Division Captain was left pinned a few feet off the ground into the wall by the mighty spear.

_Shit!_

"You act so detached and full of bloodlust, so brazen and bestial, but you must realize that the path of the beast is the path of impotence…no evolution, no flexibility, nothing but pure strength and madness. If you're a beast, you need to be stronger."

Kenpachi hissed in frustrated anger, trying desperately to pull out the spear impaling him to no avail.

"Besides…despite your hackneyed exterior, you have things to protect, even if you don't realize it."

Kenpachi's eyes widened as Kaworu turned to face little Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi, who had been watching loyally this entire time. Zaraki had no time to react as former Captain Kaworu lifted a single arm up in Yachiru's direction and muttered phrases in a tired voice.

"Destructive Art: 95, Lighting Genesis, Crash Down."

Even without the incantation it was clear the bolt of lightning was quite fast and powerful, and neither Yachiru nor the hopelessly pinned Kenpachi had any time to react as it ripped straight through little Yachiru's chest, sending the Lieutenant flying backwards and limp onto the rubble.

Kaworu smirked in a self-congratulatory fashion and then turned back to the Captain who he had trapped like a pinned butterfly.

"Killing requires reason, slaughter requires strength, and while you may have had the latter, there is always another stronger than you…brute. To live and fight as a beast as you do, is to live in a world of blindness and congratulate yourself for it."

For once, the boisterous and wild Kenpachi gave no response, in fact he hadn't even heard Kaworu's words.

Inside Captain Zaraki Kenpachi, a war was raging.

* * *

"Isane…Lieutenant…wake up…"

_Isane…Isane! Isane!_

_Kiyone…no…anything but her…anyone…Kiyone was the reason that Isane would allow these things, these injustices to be dealt to her, for her little sister's sake…so that they could have a roof over her head, so that these injustices were spared from Kiyone herself. As long as that cruel man's pain and lust could be spent on her, then they would not be spent on Kiyone, or so Isane had thought._

_She threw open the door just in time to see her father with his youngest daughter, a knife held to Kiyone's trembling little throat as her father's other hand tried to reach into her clothes._

"_No! No! Please…no!"_

_Isane rushed forward, just as her father did as well, tears mingling about them, powerful slaps resounding against the two girls, coupled with drunken shouts of anger._

_Isane had no idea what came over her as she grasped the knife out of her father's hands._

_She had no idea what came over her as she watched her father topple over and out of the front door, blood flowing from his cut throat. Could it be sorrow? Miserable regret? Relief at freedom? Or realization at their future foolish fate?_

_She watched the snowflakes slowly absorb the blood pooling onto the ground, piling and gently sprinkling around her father's dead body._

_She could hear Kiyone's tears in the background; she could hear herself shouting for Kiyone to stay inside._

_She could feel the snowflakes giving her the tears she could not produce herself._

_The nightmares had begun since then…but she always simply attributed silly causes to them, trying to forget, belittle, and walk past her misery._

_It had slowly worked over the years, Kiyone had come under Ukitake's division, been promoted, seemed happy. Seemed to have forgotten._

_But for Isane Kotetsu…she could never forget the bruises and who had dealt them…and those snowflakes…all around…comforting her hot and weary face…protecting her…forever..._

_The madness inside her head…_

It was shattered by a cool warm influence above her, a healing force of love and power that was unmistakable. Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu opened her eyes to see her Captain Retsu Unohana standing over her with a slightly concerned face, one of her warm hands on Isane's forehead.

"Captain, I-"

Lieutenant Kotetsu tried to rise and apologize for her defeat and for everything, as she often did, but Unohana only smiled kindly and eased Isane back into the hospital bed.

"Enough of that, Lieutenant, you need rest. The hospital is full as of late…Captain Kuchiki, Soifon, Ukitake, Hisagi, and even Captain Shunsui…I'll be in need of your help as the 4th Division is overloaded, but for now you should rest."

As she continued to speak, two 4th Division Shinigami rushed in, reporting immediately to their solemn and gentle Captain.

"Captain, we've discovered and returned Lieutenant Abarai as well as the intruder it seems he slew as there was no one else in the area, former Lieutenant Shogo Kiriyama."

"Good work, and what is Lieutenant Abarai's condition?"

"Stable, Captain. Though there are some strange properties of the intruder Kiriyama's body we'd like you to see…possibly regenerative, despite the fact that he is quite clearly deceased."

"I see, put him in a secure containment area for now…"

"Ma'am?"

"We had better ensure Captain Kurotsuchi not find his hands on this specimen, my mind reels at what illegal experiments he'd perform on it."

Unohana's Shinigami smiled solemnly, saluting.

"Yes, Captain."

"Is there anything else?"

The rest of their words put concerned and confused looks on both their Lieutenant and Captain.

"Well, miss…Lieutenant Hinamori is not in her room…"

* * *

Nemu Kurotsuchi trembled, feeling what could very well be emotion, something her creator and master certainly did not encourage in her or his other expendable subordinates.

She knew very well she wouldn't be able to move fast enough to stop the Quincy's arrow from slamming right through her Captain's head…and she had an inkling her Captain wouldn't be able to react fast enough either.

Nemu blinked, slowly, feeling her body tremble. The loss of her creator? Her purpose? What could she-

The explosion of reiatsu rippled through the laboratory, shattering the windows and sending glass sparkling through the air like so many stars in a cool clear night sky.

Uryū Ishida's eyes widened. He had released his arrow, yet that despicable slaughterer of Quincy remained standing.

It was then he realized that those sparkling stars weren't just shattered glass. Ishida could see it now…

_Snow…flakes?_

It was then he realized that the cold chill he had felt up his spine had been something other than just surprise.

Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya stood there calmly as the sleet sprinkled down around him, to the two other Shinigami and Quincy's surprise.

Hitsugaya's eyes were resolute and as cold as the ice that surrounded him.

"Releasing first limit, _Hyōrinmaru_ …"

Ishida did not recognize it, as he had had no previous encounters with Tōshirō Hitsugaya, but Captain Kurotsuchi surely did recognize the change within Tōshirō Hitsugaya.

The second Hitsugaya spoke those words, he seemed to pulse with pure spiritual energy.

He held the great sword Hyōrinmaru in his left hand and pressed the tip into his right palm. As if made of air, it sank straight through his palm as if his palm was an endlessly deep pool of water and then simply disappeared.

Hitsugaya clenched his right fist, his eyes bulging and the veins at his forehead straining with obvious difficulty as his right arm trembled.

Suddenly, the bright blue-white tattoos spelling the phrase "Spring Snow" ("_Haru no Yuki_") across both hands that had grown on his knuckles with his bankai started to contort against his skin.

The bright blue lines began to crisscross and grow, as if the tattoo was somehow sprouting like a vine. They grew up his hand and began to snake and crisscross all around his right arm, these glowing golden lines and symbols searing into his skin as if they were being branded on or tattooed.

It all stopped at his right shoulder, and as the smoke cleared, one could see the intricate and beautiful lines and runes all around his right arm with a new surprising addition.

There seemed to be a swirling wing of ice sprouting out of his right shoulder, a single ethereal wing of massive spiritual presence.

The power potential in his bankai had certainly been achieved, at least partway.

Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi smirked.

_Ah, so my calculations were correct. Splendid…it is not fully matured, but he seems able to control it to a degree…Now to take care of this pesky Quincy who simply refuses to submit to dissection!_

However, before Hitsugaya could send his powerful ice swirling against Ishida, a Hell Butterfly fluttered onto his shoulder, and he promptly listened to it.

"What?! Hinamori's gone missing?!"

The Quincy moved quickly, taking advantage of Hitsugaya's distraction and emotion from this sudden message to flash forward in front of Captain Kurotsuchi, tackling him in a rough surprise attack that sent both of them flying out the laboratory window and into the streets of Seireitei below.

After all, Ishida had no interest in fighting Captain Hitsugaya, especially at that level of power. First things first, killing the man who had murdered his people and his grandfather.

* * *

_Zaraki Kenpachi spat blood as he rose from the ground, confused and enraged, not sure where he was or why Kaworu wasn't in front of him._

"_Shit, where the hell am I? Don't tell me I died!"_

_Suddenly a booming voice surrounded him, and he looked up to see a massive swordsman, a giant the likes he hadn't seen since…his battle with Komamaru?_

"_I think you know who I am, Zaraki Kenpachi…"_

* * *

Well, that's this chapter, hope you enjoyed it…Hope it's not too messy or slow for you guys, I'm just getting back into my writing groove. Expect more awesomeness and expectations on the various drama going on in this chapter, as well as more surprises, romance, and action.

As always, I extremely appreciate input and reviews. See you guys next chapter!


	21. Fac Fortia Et Patere

Sorry for the terrible delay in chapters, I've been busy on my site. Check it out, it's got a Bleach roleplay and much more!

This chapter was whipped up pretty quickly and might be rough, do expect it to get quicker and better as I move along here. I've got the entire Kaworu arc and even the next arc of my story past Kaworu written up and ready in rough draft form. 

Hope you enjoy it and hope you're sticking with the story, don't worry if you're tired of all battle after battle. This Kaworu arc is VERY close to finally wrapping up and having the final battles of the invasion arc. Expect romance, tragedy, misunderstanding, and a grim father-son reunion.

* * *

Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi sneered as Ishida's tackle carried them both out of the laboratory through the shattered window and into the streets below.

_This is not going according to calculations!_

Mayuri kicked Ishida away from himself, hopping and landing onto the streets below with an angry grunt.

"What do you want, boy?! Interrupting my studies like this! You are a pest beyond discretion; I wouldn't even keep you as a test subject to dissect if you begged me! I'm turning you into dust!"

Ishida gave Mayuri a stern glance, drawing back a blazing arrow of spiritual energy.

"You read my mind, bastard."

Mayuri let out an angry shriek, insulted at this fool's impertinence. In an instant he dislodged the chained scythe connected to his head, swinging it with his right hand and sending the sharp point hurtling towards the Quincy.

In an instant Ishida disappeared, ducking underneath the flying kusarigama and using hirenkyaku to nimbly appear in front of Mayuri with his bow drawn and ready to fire.

"Your old tricks won't work anymore."

"Oh really? Why don't we try out poisons and see what happens, you welp!"

"I don't plan to let you live long enough for that…"

Mayuri nimbly flashed away, reaching for the blade at his hip, only to see Ishida appear directly above him with energy blazing above his left shoulder.

"I told you, no more of your old tricks. This time I won't give you mercy."

"Why you little-"

"Licht Regen."

Mayuri had no time to respond, a curtain of thousands of arrows blazing down from Ishida's furious bow towards the Shinigami Captain.

His eyes widened in disbelief, refusing to take it in or even respond to such a show of power.

_How did a damned Quincy achieve such a level of power since we last fought?!_

Mayuri's thoughts were cut off by the giant explosion of destructive energy caused by the arrows all slamming into the ground and detonating, thousands of arrows ripping holes into the Shinigami and sending him collapsed onto the ground.

_Chance of victory…60%…already like this and not even…released…_

Ishida gave Mayuri a condescending look, shaking his head and standing over the Captain's fallen form.

"You have fallen low, Shinigami. When last I met I was forced to nearly abandon my abilities to subjugate spiritual particles. Yet now, you are already on the ground. I do not offer you a chance to weep and beg for forgiveness any longer, now you will sacrifice your life to pay for your crimes against the Quincy."

Mayuri grimaced, spitting queerly colored blood (surely a sign of his terrible internal wounds) onto the Quincy's face.

"Silence…you rat…you are merely a test subject…"

"Is that so? Well let me show you what we test subjects can do now, Shinigami bastard! Sew me a dream, Ginrei Kojaku…"

Ishida slowly scowled, raising his white spider-web like bow and glowing with a burning white spiritual presence that shook the air around him.

"Feh…fireworks, you're nothing, you scum! I'll kill you where you stand, I don't even want to cut you up anymore or experiment on you!"

Mayuri reached for the sword at his midsection, not sure if he was overwhelmed to movement because of his rage or fear at the Quincy's new power. However, before he could figure his motivations or draw his blade, his eyes glimmered with the reflection of the blazing light around him.

"Im…possible!"

_Chance of victory…30%?!_

Before Ishida glowed threads of power, millions, connected to his fingertips and to everything around them. Buildings, the ground, Mayuri's clothes, everything.

Mayuri gasped and Ishida smiled weakly, straining to control the threads connected to his gloves and bow.

"I…control…the very spirit…that flows through…all existence…Surrender to the inevitable, you pitiable fool…"

The threads spiraled from his web-like bow, making it appear as if Ishida stood in the middle of some brilliant concentric spider web of power he himself had spindled as an arachnid.

_He's harnessed and connected himself to the spiritual particles all around in Soul Society! But for what damned purpose!? This blasted Quincy must be taken down immediately!_

However, all of Mayuri's questions would soon be answered as Ishida severed the threads connected to the very ground beneath him, this ground made of spiritual particles like everything else and immediately detonating in a gigantic cross-shaped blast of light that sent Mayuri screaming and flying in surprise.

When the light dissipated and the explosion cleared, the revealing sight was terrible. Mayuri groaned, standing with both arms missing now, his sword still sheathed at his abdomen. He hadn't even had the chance to draw his blade, the explosion brutally blasting away both his upper limbs.

It was like a terrible reflection of the fight they had had before, except this time Mayuri had lost both his arms. His stumps oozed with gruesome blood, and his eyes were boldly opened wide, full of pain, anger, and confusion.

"Y-Y-Y-YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!"

_Chance of victory…10%…NO, damn the calculations! I still have Plan X43. I still have…I still have…_

Mayuri stumbled forward, no arms, merely a crippled Captain on trembling legs, his face twisted in a grotesquely cartoonish vision of extreme fury.

Ishida merely sighed, overwhelmed by the immense energies under his control and the obstinacy of this doomed Shinigami facing him.

"And how will you kill me, pray tell, Shinigami? Kick me in the shins…to death?"

"I-IT'S ONLY A FLESH WOUND! You mewling welp! You should worry more about yourself and your friends! I'll kill all of you and dissect your corpses! Even the Soul Reaper, rules be damned! All of them!"

Ishida sighed, drawing back his bow this time, the threads connected to it glowing as he did so, absorbing spiritual pressure from the surroundings of existence around him and feeding it into the exceptionally powerful arrow.

"This next one will go right through your muttering skull, Captain. I'll end it, mercifully."

Mayuri suddenly gave a broad grin, or as well a grin a psychopath with no arms could give, his eyes bulging and glancing in opposite directions, making him look even more demented.

"Will you now? I believe you'll find yourself quite unwilling to do so, Quincy!"

Ishida grimaced suddenly, finding himself unable to draw back his bow. Instead his arms suddenly began to move without his control, moving his bow down and poising the arrow underneath his own chin in an awkward and bizarre method of Quincy suicide.

"W-What the hell?! I-I can't control my body?!"

Ishida's mind spiraled into a sudden collapse of surprise and confusion. The Shinigami hadn't even drawn his sword. What witchery was this? It…it wasn't possible.

Yet, anything was possible for the grinning Mayuri, as he seemed so eager to explain.

"I hope you enjoyed the enzymes I splattered with my spit all over your face, Quincy. Clearly some of the organisms managed to intrude into your body's system. Your nervous system is completely forfeit, consider your entire body mine!"

_Mayuri grimaced, spitting queerly colored blood (surely a sign of his terrible internal wounds) onto the Quincy's face._

"_Silence…you rat…you are merely a test subject…"_

Ishida's eyes widened. Had it been then? Had that been all that it had taken to infect him with whatever bizarre microorganisms that Mayuri had designed? The entire battle had fallen to his inability to dodge the disrespectful spit flung at his face.

"It…can't end like this…sensei…"

"Quiet, Quincy, or I'll control your tongue myself. All it takes is my neural commands, your body is a part of mine now. I don't even need arms, I'll use your own to kill you! Now…let's…end this…"

Mayuri concentrated, forcing his will past Ishida's, forcing the blazing spiritual arrow that Ishida had created farther down so it was positioned to fly straight through his chin.

"I refuse to allow this…for the pride of the Quincy…I must…"

"You can't resist science, you pitiful brat! All the faith in the world is irrelevant put up to my powers! Pray to your gods and prepare for a hole in your damned skull!"

"Tch, Shinigami scum. I have no need for prayers. Have you forgotten? Ransotengai."

Spiritual pressure suddenly burst around Ishida, spiraling like threads all around the Quincy. This was the puppeteer technique that allowed the Quincy to fight on even when their bodies were beyond their control or incapacitated.

"Damn you! Connecting your threads of spiritual pressure even to yourself! But do you have the power to overwhelm my control, I wonder…"

Mayuri grimaced, trying to focus on pushing the Quincy's bow closer to his chin and to have him draw back the arrow, but second by second the bow was being pushed back towards the Shinigami with Ishida's threads of spiritual pressure puppeteering.

Mayuri was slowly losing the tug of war despite himself, and this only made him angrier. Rage was making him lose control and focus, it often did, but the pain from his blasted away limbs and the anger from being humiliated by a Quincy despite all his experiments was grinding his patience to its final sore raw end.

The Captain could only stare with wild eyes as the bow was turned back towards him, the spiritual arrow tugged back farther and farther, ready to fire.

"You…bastard! You'll never kill me…I'll…you…"

"You'll do what, hmm? Use that disappearing liquid trick of yours? You have no arms to stab yourself with or even release your blade."

Mayuri's eyes widened even greater as he realized the truth behind the Quincy's words. Could this be the end? No, no, he had so many calculations to run regarding this scenario. All test simulations had signified his victory over the Quincy…or at least run of the mill Quincy who were at a disadvantage. In the end, that was Mayuri's game, playing in a fixed scenario. When the tables were turned against him by introducing a foreign variable, well, all calculations were thrown out the window.

There the arrow was drawn back despite Mayuri's words and calculations. There the arrow was sent flying towards Mayuri's prone skull, ready to end the miserable madman's life then and there.

"This is for…sensei…"

"He died screaming for mercy, you know! He died like a dog, y-y-y-you I'll-"

"By the honor of the Quincy, god rest your wretched soul."

Mayuri let out a ragged scream of furious and impetuous rage as the arrow flew forward to pin him in the skull.

Darkness…darkness…_My calculations! It's over! Chance of victory…0%! It's all over…Reset! RESET SCENARIO!_

Mayuri did not close his eyes and welcome death or shun it in fear, instead his bulging eyes stayed open to behold the arrow as it…hit a body flashing before him?

_A…foreign variable in the equation? Nemu?!_

When the dust had cleared, it merely revealed what should have been predicted by both the arrogant fighting men standing there. Mayuri's Lieutenant had intruded.

She stood there, defiant, her uniform smoking from the blast of the arrow she had intercepted and taken in her "father"'s stead.

Nemu turned to look at Ishida with seemingly robotically emotionless eyes. Ishida could see emotion in them however, it was subtle but it was there.

"He gave me life. You must understand. You have people you love despite their feelings towards you, despite how they may…treat you…."

Ishida stiffened, images of his stern father coming to mind as Nemu spoke. She cradled Mayuri's unconscious form in her arms, looking up at the Quincy.

"Spare my creator…or I will be forced to battle you."

Ishida sneered, suddenly overwhelmed with rage and disrespect. Sure, he had sworn by his chivalry and pride to never fight or strike a woman, but this was ridiculous. She had saved his life once, but this was beyond reproach, he could not allow the vile slaughterer of Quincy known as Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi to live on.

Mayuri gasped for air, slowly glancing up, apparently coming to, his long fingernail held up in the air and moved almost tenderly in the direction of Nemu's head.

Ishida stiffened, about to shoot an arrow but having stopped at Mayuri's movement. Was he actually caressing his "daughter", showing some sort of human emotion?

Nay, the long nail revealed its purpose, clicking into a heretofore unseen slot in the side of Nemu's neck like a key entering a lock. The nail clicked to the side of the slot and all of a sudden, Nemu stiffened, as if listening to silent orders from Mayuri.

Mayuri gave one last vile smile afterwards and then slumped back down to the ground.

Steam began to spew out of the side of Nemu's mouth and her nostrils, making Ishida's eyes widen and causing sweat to comically drape down his forehead. What in the world was this?

Nemu's eyes were fiery and suddenly lifeless, her expression robotic as she spoke in a monotonous voice.

"Entering…berserker…mode…"

_What?!_

Ishida hadn't any time to respond before Nemu used a maddening shunpo to appear in front of him and deliver the coupdegrace, a vicious punch to his chest that instantly broke at least two of his ribs and sent him flying into the wall behind him in an explosion of dust and rubble.

* * *

Zaraki Kenpachi lay in the giant void, blood streaming from his wounds. Yet there was no pain, only nothingness. There was nothing around him, nothing but himself. He hated it, not having someone to fight. Without the sound of sword clashing against sword, the pain, the exhilaration of battle, without that there was nothing but the tired boring voices inside his head.

The truth was, he hated being alone. He was scared of it, it's why he always loved battle. It's what he could count on. His entire family had been slaughtered in the wars of the noble Shinigami clans. He had been born in an age where you had to survive by taking your blade and holding it in front of you like a man, drawing blood and fighting for your life.

That's what you could count on, a fight, it's what he counted on to be with him always, supporting him like a family. He could see in his head the thousands of men he had killed, and it reassured him, they were the family he had never gotten the chance to fight and slaughter.

Zaraki Kenpachi spat blood, trying to rise, trying to forget the fact that he had just been skewered alive by a maddening psychopath who had overcome his full powers. All that mattered was the thrill of battle, the familiar feeling of a blade in his hand and the warm caress of a blade through his own flesh. That's what it was all about for Zaraki Kenpachi, love and family.

Finally rising, he shook his head, confused and enraged, not sure where he was or why Kaworu wasn't in front of him.

"Shit, where the hell am I? Don't tell me I'm dead! What a fuckin' bore! Nothin' here but my own thoughts, who am I supposed to cut? Is this hell? Then let me fight the fuckin' devil!"

Suddenly a violent din surrounded him in the grand void, a giant swordsmen covered in armor with a katana drawn towering over him. A warrior much like those he had slaughtered by the thousands in wartime, a true samurai. More alarmingly, it looked exactly like the one had fought during his battle with Komamaru.

"What the hell is this, huh? Who are you? Fox face?"

A booming voice issued from the rattling armor of the swordsmen, shaking from within as if the giant samurai was empty inside his armor.

"YOU KNOW WHO I AM, ZARAKI KENPACHI."

"Tch! Hell if I know or care! Save the introductions and bring me that giant fuckin' blade of yours."

The giant warrior only responded with a massive roar, bringing his blade down towards Kenpachi. The sword itself was the size of a small building, and as the wounded Shinigami Captain brought his comparatively diminutive blade up to block it, he could only laugh in glee and madness.

"Ain't the size of yer sword, it's how ya use it!"

His taunt was nearly cut off as the massive sword slammed into his, making his feet crack the ground from the sheer forced of the giant swordsmen. Grunting, he strained to support the weight of the massive pressures upon him, barely able to remain standing and contain the immense forces threatening to snap him and his sword in half.

"You think that as you hide behind your sword, ZARAKI KENPACHI."

"Tch! You can ready my fuckin' thoughts now? Who cares! I don't need no special blades! This sword here is just a sword, like yers, if it cracks I'll just draw another one!"

"And what of your sword's screams to be known?"

"I don't fuckin' care, I don't have time to be chattin' with a goddamn sword! All that matters is cutting' and stabbin'!"

"You say that, but you hide behind your sword's chatter, as it slams against another blade. That noise is your conversation, your dialogue. You delight in the noise of your sword screaming, and yet you speak of not caring for your sword's thoughts."

"Thoughts? Chatter? THE FUCK YOU TALKIN' ABOUT? Yer overcomplicating the joy of the fight, ya moron. Just slash your sword at your opponent and get ready to bite flesh, that's all! Don't need no fancy attacks or bullshit cheating advantages like shikai and bankai. A sword is just a piece of metal."

"AND A MAN? MERELY A PIECE OF FLESH OVER BONE TO BE SHATTERED."

Kenpachi's eyes widened as the giant warrior pressed more forced behind its sword, actually cracking through Zaraki's blade and making him grimace. Could it really be happening? His sword had never let him down before.

"You depend on your blade. Without it you are nothing. If you delight in it when it screams and sings yet ignore the fact that has words to speak, if you do that you are merely denying yourself. If you call your sword a mere piece of metal, you are even less than that. A clump of flesh and bone."

Zaraki Kenpachi had no time to respond to the puzzling and annoying words issuing out of the giant warrior, the massive blade slamming straight through his sword and bashing him away. The blade was indeed so massive and he so small that there was no cut, instead it smashed his arms and shoulders, shattering the bones in them and even worse, shattering his sword into a hundred pieces.

Kenpachi realized it then as he fell to his knees, unable to move his broken arms, staring at his crumbled sword. He realized that the sword was merely an extension of the man. All those men he had killed, they were inferior of heart and spirit. It wasn't their blades. But by denying his sword, he made both him and his sword weaker.

But this realization brought him nothing but discomfort. It meant that he was not a solitary fighter, it meant that the sword was not a tool but a part of him…even more than him, perhaps a partner, an embodiment of his soul?

All these realizations seemed external, as if foreign epiphanies were being forcefed into his skull. But by who? Whose voice was inside his mind, reverberating like the sound of a sword clanging against another sword…

The giant warrior stood over him now, ready to deliver the finishing blow.

"You know who I am Zaraki Kenpachi."

"Tch, as if I care! You talk too much!"

"And you hide within your strength…within my strength. Why is that?""What the fuck do you mean? I don't need any help! Ichigo fought me two versus one! I only needed myself!"

"And you lost!"

"But at least I didn't use any fuckin' tricks!"

"You are mistaken. I've been there alongside you from the beginning. That battle, as well as the other battles…you had no handicap then but your own ignorance."

"What?! Alongside me? The fuck are you talkin-"

"Haven't you recognized me yet, Ken-chan?"

_Little Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi giggled as her pink haired head bobbed up and down, riding the massive shoulder of her Captain, Kenpachi Zaraki._

_She laughed as she urged him forward; pointing down the long alleyway Kenpachi was sprinting down, his spiked hair standing proud like the many towers of Soul Society._

_He spoke up in his gruff voice._

"_Are you sure this is the right way? I hope you're not pulling the same shit like when the ryoka were invading."_

"_Of course not Ken-chan!"_

"_You felt it too…didn't you?"_

"_Yeah…that strawberry-head…you betcha…I sensed his spirit too!"_

"So what!?"

_Captain Kenpachi Zaraki let out an eerie grin, strolling down the street. _

_He laughed as he moved forward; pointing down the long alleyway he himself was sprinting down, his spiked hair standing proud like the many towers of Soul Society._

_He spoke up in his gruff voice._

"_Are you sure this is the right way? I hope you're not pulling the same shit like when the ryoka were invading."_

_Kenpachi paused before speaking once more._

"_You felt it too…didn't you?"_

_There was no response evident but silence._

"You callin' me crazy or something? What a fuckin' surprise!"

"_You act so detached and full of bloodlust, so brazen and bestial, but you must realize that the path of the beast is the path of impotence…no evolution, no flexibility, nothing but pure strength and madness. If you're a beast, you need to be stronger."_

_Kenpachi hissed in frustrated anger, trying desperately to pull out the spear impaling him to no avail._

"_Besides…despite your hackneyed exterior, you have things to protect, even if you don't realize it."_

_Kenpachi's eyes widened as Kaworu turned to face little Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi, who had been watching loyally this entire time. Zaraki had no time to react as former Captain Kaworu lifted a single arm up in Yachiru's direction and muttered phrases in a tired voice._

"_Destructive Art: 95, Lighting Genesis, Crash Down."_

_Even without the incantation it was clear the bolt of lightning was quite fast and powerful, and neither Yachiru nor the hopelessly pinned Kenpachi had any time to react as it ripped straight through little Yachiru's chest, sending the Lieutenant flying backwards and limp onto the rubble._

_Kaworu smirked in a self-congratulatory fashion and then turned back to the Captain who he had trapped like a pinned butterfly._

"_Killing requires reason, slaughter requires strength, and while you may have had the latter, there is always another stronger than you…brute. To live and fight as a beast as you do, is to live in a world of blindness and congratulate yourself for it."_

_For once, the boisterous and wild Kenpachi gave no response, in fact he hadn't even heard Kaworu's words._

_Inside Captain Zaraki Kenpachi, a war was raging._

"What the hell is going on?!"

"Look deeper…"

"_You act so detached and full of bloodlust, so brazen and bestial, but you must realize that the path of the beast is the path of impotence…no evolution, no flexibility, nothing but pure strength and madness. If you're a beast, you need to be stronger."_

_Kenpachi hissed in frustrated anger, trying desperately to pull out the spear impaling him to no avail._

"_Besides…despite your hackneyed exterior, you have things to protect, even if you don't realize it."_

_Kenpachi's eyes widened as Kaworu turned to face the sword in Kenpachi's hand. Zaraki had no time to react as former Captain Kaworu lifted a single arm up in Kenpachi's direction and muttered phrases in a tired voice._

"_Destructive Art: 95, Lighting Genesis, Crash Down."_

_Even without the incantation it was clear the bolt of lightning was quite fast and powerful, and neither Kenpachi's blade nor the hopelessly pinned Kenpachi himself had any time to react as it ripped straight through metal of the sword's hilt, searing and melting the sword until it fell apart completely in a dozen molten pieces._

_Kaworu smirked in a self-congratulatory fashion and then turned back towards the Captain who he had trapped like a pinned butterfly._

"_Killing requires reason, slaughter requires strength, and while you may have had the latter, there is always another stronger than you…brute. To live and fight as a beast as you do, is to live in a world of blindness and congratulate yourself for it."_

_For once, the boisterous and wild Kenpachi gave no response, in fact he hadn't even heard Kaworu's words._

_Inside Captain Zaraki Kenpachi, a war was raging._

The truth had always been in front of him, hidden in the swagger of battle. And it soon revealed itself, the heavy armor of the giant warrior shattering into pieces and revealing a small pink-haired girl inside.

"YACHIRU! THAT BASTARD BROKE YA! I'LL KILL HIM! MY SWORD!"

"We'll get 'em Ken-chan!"

"Tch, is there a reason no one did anything about me talking to myself and not having a real Lieutenant?"

"I just think they were too scared to ask, Kenny."

_Ikkaku nudged Yumichika, watching Kenpachi mumbling and muttering to himself like some sort of crazed psychopath. _

"_You talk to him…"_

"_No you!"_

"_I don't wanna get myself killed this young, you bum."_

He had always thought of her as true family alongside him, another who delighted in his fights and the blade. How close he had been to the truth, yet so far. Indeed, he found family in his fights, familiarity in his blade because there literally was the spirit of his comrade alongside him in every battle…cheering him on, lending her strength…

He had never been alone, she the external feeling of family, perhaps of his slain sisters from a family he had never had the chance to experience as a child…she had been there alongside him from the beginning, his blade, his family, his soul.

There was after all, nothing wrong with a man and his blade alone deciding battle. This changed nothing, if anything, it expanded it.

Kenpachi smiled confidently, glancing at the little girl at his side and the sword at his hip. It all felt…right.

"C'mon Ken-chan, no more time to talk. We've got a spoiled brat to cut up!"

"Hahahaahaahaahaaha, I'm liking this already!"

* * *

Kaworu sighed, glancing at the pinned and probably now dying Captain to his right. How many Captains of his father would he have to kill to get his attention? It was just like the old days, trying to get father to pay him mind.

Ever since his mother had passed during childbirth, his father had turned a stern eye towards him as if it had been his fault his mother had died.

"_Don't be difficult….I'm leaving you with your uncle…"_

"_No! Daddy, please don't leave! Where's mommy!"_

"_She's dead, Kaworu…"_

"_No! You're lying!"_

"_You saw it with your own eyes…you remember…"_

The fragments of Kaworu's memories shook inside his skull like broken pieces of glass, wounding his tender flesh when they splashed out into his brain. Was he coming unhinged? Had he already gone far too insane?

None of his memories made sense anymore, was that memory a figment of his imagination? Why had he been asking of his mother if she had died during childbirth? Why had his father claimed he had seen it with his own eyes? Surely he couldn't remember his own birth…then what?

Which of his memories and ideas were real and which of them were utter madness? Could it be that he had lost his grasp on reality and was fighting a quest of evil?

Kaworu grimaced, shrugging the wounds from his body and mind. Even if he was on a skewed quest of psychosis, he had put far too much time and madness into it to turn back now, he had lost far too much…

His steps were taking him closer now to where he knew his father was waiting for him, in those grand ivory buildings he made his headquarters, alongside the towers of penitence where prisoners were kept. Fitting for such a cruel and stern ruler.

However, before he could take another step, an extra step was added into the silent interval in between his steps. The footstep of another. And the sound of a bell ringing? That could only mean? Impossible! What was the fellow made out of!

Kaworu barely managed to whirl about in time, intercepting Zaraki Kenpachi's swinging blade with his spear still in bankai. It was amazing, the Shinigami Captain had been skewered and dying with his sword shattered in a hundred pieces…yet here he was coming back with a furious new reiatsu and his sword apparently still intact.

"What the hell?! Shouldn't you and your wretched sword be dead?"

Kenpachi gave a wild grin, exerting his strength both physical and spiritual as he blazed with reiatsu and sent Kaworu stumbling back with a rough push.

"Nah! In fact we've never been better!"

Kaworu's eyes widened as he straightened himself, brushing blood and dust off of his clothes.

"'We'? Don't tell me-"

"Like you said, a man with no control of his blade is just a dumb beast. Now this is a fair fight."

Kenpachi let out a gruesomely morbid laugh, exploding with even more spiritual pressure. Even for an amazing source of spiritual pressure, this was definitely a new level, the energy was just leaking out of Kenpachi and his sword.

His sword was just as ragged-looking as before, but now it was imbued with a more powerful aura, as was the man holding it.

The Captain rushed forward, slashing his sword viciously down at Kaworu, Kaworu barely managing to block it. And even as he did so, a rushing blast of spiritual pressure and strength blasted him away, sending him flying back into the tower wall behind him.

"Shit! Stronger than my bankai?! Then I'll take you out faster than you can see…"

Kaworu grit his teeth, flashing forward with startling nimble speed and appearing far too quickly for Kenpachi, directly behind the 11th Division Captain with Inazuma's spear point hurtling towards his back.

However, as the cross-spear crashed into its target, Kaworu noticed in disbelief that it hadn't even drawn blood. His spear had been blocked by Kenpachi's sword, the Shinigami Captain having whirled around to intercept his attack.

"Hah! I can see you now, ya dumb bastard!"

Kaworu grit his teeth, struggling to resist Kenpachi's sword pushing him and his spear back.

"Damn, so it's not just your strength that increased…"

"Tch, I'm gonna make you pay for hurtin' Yachiru, you fuck!"

"Huh, so you know your sword's name now, do you? That explains this power, possibly merely the realization of your constantly released shikai. Yet will you possess the power to overwhelm me, I wonder?"

Kenpachi pushed Kaworu back once more and brought his sword down towards Kaworu's skull, single-minded in his terrifying urge to fight and cut and smash.

Kaworu barely had time to release the first limit on Inazuma,

He held the great spear Inazuma in his left hand and pressed the tip into his right palm. As if made of air, it sank straight through his palm as if his palm was an endlessly deep pool of water and then simply disappeared.

Kaworu clenched his right fist, his eyes bulging and the veins at his forehead straining with obvious difficulty as his right arm trembled.

Suddenly, the bright golden-white tattoos spelling the phrase "VENGEANCE IS MINE" ("Fukushû Suruwa Wareniari") across both hands that had grown on his knuckles with his bankai started to contort against his skin.

The golden lines began to crisscross and grow, as if the tattoo was somehow sprouting like a vine. They grew up his hand and began to snake and crisscross all around his right arm, these glowing golden lines and symbols searing into his skin as if they were being branded on or tattooed.

It all stopped at his right shoulder, and as the smoke cleared, one could see the intricate and beautiful lines and runes all around his right arm with a new surprising addition.

There seemed to be a glowing wing of electric energy sprouting out of his right shoulder, a single ethereal wing of massive spiritual presence.

However, all of this rote redundancy was cut off immediately. Kaworu had had the time to release his initial limit, but not the time to react to Kenpachi's surprising agility and power. Zaraki hadn't just grown in strength, he'd become a beast on all fronts.

Kaworu's eyes bulged as Kenpachi's sword slashed vertically through his chest, sending a spiral of blood flying into the air and making him gasp and choke with sluggish streams of crimson ichor seeping from betwixt his lips from the immediate internal bleeding.

Kenpachi let out a wild hoot as Kaworu gasped and toppled over right after having released his first limit of power, making it quite anti-climactic indeed as he currently lay on the ground bleeding out with a giant slash across his chest.

Zaraki strolled towards his fallen opponent, his long sword pointed in the direction of Kaworu's throat as the fallen man gasped for air and balance from his severe wound.

"Looks like ya got bitten by the beast, huh? You sure liked to rant about how only a man can kill a beast and blahblahblah, but it looks like you're down in the dirt with the rest of us now. Yachiru got her comeuppance."

Kaworu grit his teeth, feeling the life from within him draining, his heart beating slower and slower.

Lubbdubb

Lubbdubb

Lubb…dubb

"_My Ichi-chan…if I were to run away from this place…would you join me?"_

_He rested his fingers gently on her chin, lifting up her face to gaze into his._

"_Would you? Leave this place, this land of duty and law, this land where you were raised…leave this land where you hold such supreme position…leave this land for your heart and mine?"_

_Yoruichi trembled, tears running down her face._

"_I know what I have to do…my Kaworu…my Okami…"_

_Kaworu smiled lovingly, taking this as an affirmative response, his hand reaching to pull her in a kiss._

_Suddenly, however, his brow furrowed, and he sighed, shaking his head._

"_I'm sorry."_

"_I…understand…but…did it have to be so…ruthless, Ichi-chan?"_

_The young man fell to the ground and coughed up violent streams of his own crimson blood, staring at the blade sticking out of his chest. The blade Yoruichi had stuck into him._

_He stared up Yoruichi, who was a trembling, sobbing mess, and his shivering right hand reached out and brushed the hair out of her eyes, smiling._

"_Shh…don't cry Yoruichi…I understand…only following…orders…"_

"Yoruichi…I'm sorry…father, I'm sorry…but…"

Kaworu's eyes blazed with energy, a blast of lightning making its fiery current out of his clenched fists and into his chest, jumpstarting his heart and searing his terrible wound closed in a burst of burning power.

"…I must make a new world to replace this one…I will not die before you do."

The current didn't stop, coursing across the ground directly at Kenpachi's surprised form, slamming into his toes and up into his skull.

Smoke seeped out of Zaraki's nose and mouth and he gave a rough laugh, shaking his head.

"Nice…fight…looks like this is our limit, eh Ya-"

Kenpachi didn't finish his sentence, toppling over from the sudden rush of electric force into him with smoke still seeping out of him.

Kaworu rose with a tired grunt, feeling lightly roasted without much energy. But it didn't matter, the tower waited for him. His father was waiting.

He glanced at Kenpachi's unconscious form, grimacing and stumbling forward. No, he wouldn't deliver a final blow to the fallen 11th Division Captain. Kaworu wouldn't admit it to himself, but he respected the potential in Zaraki Kenpachi, beast or not.

There was a bit of Shogo Kiriyama in the Captain, he was a pure being. Pure violence maybe, but purity was of some value no matter what it consisted of.

"It would be a pity to kill a warrior such as you…"

Kaworu looked away, glancing at the grand tower where his father was evidently waiting for him and the entrance through which he soon planned to flash.

He clenched his fists, trying to remember his mother's face, his uncle's smell, his lover's lips…steeling himself for what would come, an inevitable reunion and clash. It had to be done, the new world had to be created and the road to it would be paved with his father's bones. It was inevitable.

"This is it, father."

Suddenly, a voice directly behind Kaworu, the surprise of it making him grimace and then sigh in resignation.

"Not quite."

Kaworu turned around slowly this time, exasperated with interruptions and far too tired to handle anyone else. He managed to turn just in time to see Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya and his released zanpakutō.

_A dragon!? Like Inazuma? Could it be?!_

He had no time to react to the ice dragon that slammed into his midsection and carried him flying straight into the walls of the tower in a giant explosion of rubble. Upstairs, Shigekuni gave no reaction to the shaking of the tower, merely continuing to sip his tea.

Hitsugaya blazed with spiritual pressure, his eyes furious as he shouted into the destruction and din he had caused.

"Where's Hinamori, you bastard?!"

* * *

Captain Jushiro Ukitake smiled weakly as he made his way through the garden of 13th Division's headquarters, still feeling quite in pain and tired from the vicious battle and wounds he had taken from Kaworu. The blasts of energy sent into him had aggravated his already weak physical system, short-circuiting his body and forcing him into a 4th Division healing room for a number of precarious hours until he managed to pull through under Captain Unohana's direction supervision.

Alongside him was Rukia Kuchiki, back from visiting her brother, now here to visit her fallen Captain, still overwhelmed with trepidation over the whereabouts of Ichigo Kurosaki which were currently unknown.

Still, this quiet walk in the garden alongside her Captain was comforting enough in such a wild time of war. She still had no idea where all her friends and comrades were and if they were okay, but all she could do in the end was pray and believe in her compatriots.

_Is that really all I'm capable of then? Crossing my damned fingers? Tch…_

She had tried to summon inner strength, but ever since the last terrible defeat against Kaworu and the fall of her brother and friends she had been overwhelmed with a sense of helplessness. Even with her powers slowing having returned, she felt like an ant compared to the spiritual pressures of the key players currently slashing their way throughout Soul Society.

Ukitake gave Rukia a kind smile, touching her right shoulder gently and snapping her out of her inner-gloom. What he'd never admit is that he half touched her shoulder because he had almost found himself toppling over from sheer lack of strength and had needed some support. His body was still in horrible shape.

"Rukia…you need not fret so much, I know what you're thinking…"

"Captain…"

"You fought admirably for your position, and you'll only get stronger…I wasn't always a Captain, you know, and look at the state I'm in now. Someday you'll be even stronger than me, I'm sure."

"Thanks, Captain Ukitake…I just can't help but feel rather irrelevant in this battle. It's all up to the Captain-Commander, and I don't even know where Ichigo is."

"I understand, I understand. How about first thing tomorrow morning we take the whole division out and start looking for him and your friends, huh?"

"But Captain…you're still injured from-"

Ukitake laughed, smacking his chest proudly and giving Rukia a wink. What he wouldn't tell her is that he felt like his body was on fire.

"Hah, little old me? I'm fine! Don't fret. We'll go first thing-"

Ukitake's broad smile and continued words were dragged down into a giant explosion of dust and rubble, exposing the sewer system below the ground, the vicious blast opening up a massive sinkhole that immediately sucked up the Captain before he could finish talking.

"-tomorrooooooooooo-"

Rukia Kuchika's eyes widened in surprise, having glimpsed the sudden strands of spiritual pressure that had appeared before Rukia and Ukitake's path and then the ensuing explosion that had shook the earth around them and sucked up Ukitake. Her Captain's mournful face disappeared into the brand new pit, the poor fellow still smiling to reassure her in her insecurity even as he was sucked into the freshly made void.

"Captain?! What the hell?!"

"Number 12, Fushibi. Setting the ambush was easy, all I had to do was wait for you traitors to appear."

Rukia Kuchiki spun around in surprise to gaze at the source of the stern feminine voice issuing behind her. Momo Hinamori, looking particularly disgruntled.

_What the hell is she doing here?! Shouldn't she be in the infirmary or something?!_

"Lieutenant Hinamori?! What is the meaning of this!"

Momo gave a cruel sneer, an expression quite bizarre on her usually gentle face, speaking or rather spitting out angry words in reply.

"Quiet down, you traitor! I know exactly what you and Captain Ichimaru planned, framing Captain Aizen like that! I'll kill you for my Captain! I'll fix everything!"

Rukia Kuchiki stiffened, reviewing her possible choices and glancing at Momo's trembling hand at Tobiume's hilt. Clearly the Lieutenant of Fifth Division had totally lost it, either because of external or internal influences, it was irrelevant. All that mattered was that Hinamori was a clear danger to herself and all those around her.

She had to get to Captain Ukitake in the collapsed sewers, and quick, who knows what wounds could have reopened. But in between her and the pit stood Momo, determined and ready to battle

_Crap…I…I can't do this…can I? She's a Lieutenant…I can handle her…I think…I could have been a Lieutenant like Renji…I'm sure, if brother hadn't held me back…I have to believe in my power. Here she comes!_

Rukia was snapped out of her musing as Momo Hinamori drew her blade and swung it in the air, not attacking just yet.

"Hajike…Tobiume…"

Speaking out her release phrase, Momo and Rukia both watched transfixed as Momo's sword

The blade had straightened and become a long sword with several jitte-like prongs along its length at various intervals. This was Momo's shikai, Rukia had heard of it but never experience it firsthand.

She had but little time to react to it as Hinamori let out an angry yell, charging a blast of spiritual energy into the conduit that was her released blade and sending the fiery sphere of destruction flying towards Rukia.

Rukia Kuchikia quickly utilized her shunpo to take a sidestep just away from the terrible blast, drawing her own blade carefully and pointing it in Momo's direction.

"I don't want to hurt you, Momo."

"It's far too late for that, Rukia…Stand and fight and die like a Shinigami."

Momo Hinamori let out an uncharacteristic growl, sending another vicious blast flying out towards Rukia from her sword while charging forward.

Rukia quickly dodged the blast, finding a quick rhythm in her ability to dodge the agile but avoidable attacks. The blast flew past her and missed, but Momo wasn't done, quickly launching a vicious kido spell, specifically…

"Destructive Art Number 31, Shakkaho!"

The blast just barely missed Rukia as she made an agile sidestep, but it did connect with one of the stone pillars behind her, toppling it over directly behind Rukia.

Rukia held her own blade forward and spoke defiantly while turning it in a circle counter-clockwise.

"Mae, Sode no Shirayuki."

While she turned it the blade, hilt and crossguard turned completely white. The tsuba becoming a circle and a white ribbon spreading out like wings from the pommel.

This was her shikai, ice white and one of the most beautiful in Soul Society. However the release of it took a considerable moment of time, more than enough time for Momo to have readied another spell which she quickly sent flying. This one was quite obviously a binding spell and Rukia released she barely had time to react.

"Number 63, Sajo Sabaku!"

However, despite the fact that she had been prone…the binding strips made their way right past Rukia Kuchiki, barely missing her and flying directly past her.

_Hmmm…lucky…maybe this is my chance!_

Momo fired off a blast from Tobiume as Rukia charged forward with a shunpo, and just according to Momo's unfolding plans, Rukia dodged it nimbly.

When the explosion behind her from the dodged blast cleared, she found her arms and legs immediately binded by a number of spiritual strips, Rukia's eyes bulging open in surprise at the sudden turn of events. It had all been a game for the fiery tactician Momo Hinamori!

_Then that last binding kido?! She didn't miss! She was aiming for the collapsed pillar behind me and waiting for her chance to trigger the waiting binding kido with a blast from Tobiume…Dammit! I can't move!_

Rukia Kuchiki struggled uselessly in the spiritual bonds containing her as Lieutenant Momo Hinamori slowly made her way towards what she saw as her ultimate enemy and the vilest evil of Soul Society.

"That took a while, Rukia, but it's finally over. If you have any honor left, you'll resign yourself and get what you deserve."

Hinamori drew back her blade, charging another fiery red blast of spiritual energy to fire at the prone and trapped Rukia, grimacing with strain as she summoned more of her destructive spiritual power.

"WHAT YOU DESERVE FOR HURTING CAPTAIN AIZEN!"

_Shit! Is this it? Am I done? Ichigo…I'm sorry…I never got to…_

Rukia Kuchiki closed her eyes, more than ready to meet her sister again yet mournful at all she had been unable to achieve in her life.

However, before the blast could strike, it was stopped by a blazing shield of golden energy, and in between that shield and Rukia was Orihime Inoue.

Momo shook her head, drawing back her sword and sneering.

"Human interloper! You have no business in this battle! Either you defeat me or your comrade in evil dies! And you cannot defeat me, being just a human!"

Orihime stood defiant, her powers swelling with the rise and fall of her genuinely growing emotions.

"I'm not letting you hurt my friend. And I'm not going to let you die either…I'm tired of people saying there's only one choice. I'm going to save my nakama and save you too."

Orihime seemed determined as she stood in between Momo Hinamori and Rukia Kuchiki, her hands upraised as she kept the shield charged and constant. Meanwhile Momo had merely grimaced in her psychosis, charging up another round blast of destructive energy to fling forward at her opponents.

Momo sneered, shaking her head sadly.

"There is only one choice…"

* * *

**Hueco Mundo**

**Las Noches**

Captain Sōsuke Aizen lay back in his throne, giving a musing smile as he viewed the ongoing situation in Soul Society and his penultimate plans unfolding briskly.

"There is only one choice for Soul Society. It will be razed to the ground and all who dwell in it will suffer and die deaths with the realization that nothing lays ahead for them in reincarnation but dwelling in a realm of my creation."

* * *

A rough chapter, maybe not my best. Prepare yourself for Orihime standing up for herself, Nemu showing off her terrifying berserker mode, Kaworu and Hitsugaya fighting in a vicious clash of dragon swords, and much more!


	22. Omnia Vincit Amor

Sorry for the delay, here's another chapter to satiate everyone. It's not as long as it should be, but I'm trying my best to wrap up this arc as smoothly and gracefully as possible.

* * *

Rukia Kuchiki's eyes widened as she struggled in the kido bonds that her fellow Lieutenant and now psychopath Momo Hinamori had put her in. There was no time, however, as Momo's zanpakuto fired off a massive blast of crimson energy towards Orihime and Rukia.

Rukia screamed as it surged towards them, trying to at least urge the redhead to get out of the way. What business did a human like her have in a fight of Shinigami? She'd get herself killed.

"Run, Orihime!"

Orihime Inoue stood strong as the blast hurtled towards them, insulted by Momo and now Rukia's approximation of her as a weakling. True, she was more a lover than a fighter, but that gave them no right to simply cast her away.

"Baigon, Hinagiku, Lily!"

Momo Hinamori's eyes were brilliant bemusement mixed with laughter on her countenance as her massive blast exploded on Rukia Kuchiki, however her wild glee was soon replaced by confused rage as she found Orihime Inoue once more in between her and Rukia unharmed with her golden shield up.

Momo was filled with spite and a great deal of rage, insulted that this pertinent human had dared to block her blast, or even been able to do so in the first place.

"What the hell are you, bitch?!"

"I told you…I'm not letting you hurt my friend. And I'm not going to let you die either. The bloodshed stops here!"

"Tch, I'll turn you to dust! Aid me, Captain Aizen!"

Swinging Tobiume back down, Momo began to fire off volley after volley of crimson orbs towards Rukia. Meanwhile, Orihime walked unscathed through the blasts, blocking them with her golden shield calmly as she advanced closer and closer to Momo like some sort of indestructible machine.

Momo's eyes widened in exasperation and rage as she poured more and more energy into her blasts, trying her best to blow away the defiant human girl once and for all.

"What the hell are you?!"

The answer came from the sonorous voices of Orihime's glowing Shun Shun Rikka, a chorus of radiant voices as powerful and defiant as Rukia's soul.

"Orihime's powers are intensified by the power and emotions of her heart. As long as Orihime truly believes in herself and her mission, there is nothing that can stop us."

Hinamori began to grind her teeth, gasping in frustrated rage as blast after blast was contained and blocked effortlessly by Orihime's glowing shield.

"So…be it…I had hoped not to have to use this new ability of Tobiume's…Captain Aizen helped me perfect it…I'll take this entire cliffside and area with me if I have to! After all, you can't stop me with just defensive moves, human coward!"

Orihime felt the emotions broiling within her, whispering under her voice quietly but full of firm belief.

"Tsubaki…"

"What's that you said?! Tch, it doesn't matter. You die now! Akanami, Tobiume!"

Charging a particularly nasty blast of crimson energy within Tobiume's strange form, Momo Hinamori whipped her sword down as powerfully as possible, sending a massive surging wave of red destructive energy coming out of it towards Orihime.

True to her word, it was enormously powerful, far more destructive than her basic blasts, and it was heading right towards Orihime and the hapless Rukia.

"Tsubaki…believe in me as I believe in you…"

In an instant a massive burst of golden energy slammed into the wave of red energy, beginning to flip and overturn it completely at first and then merely sending it back surging with even more power from Tsubaki. As if a low tide had reached the extent of its dominion on the sandy beaches and was propelled then back into the sea it had issued out of, the blast merely hit its high point and then collided right back into Momo Hinamori.

Momo for her part was ripped quite badly, the uniform she barely deserved in tatters as she was sent flying directly off the cliff's precipice and into the abyss below.

She barely had time to scream, shouting her "Captain's" name as she disappeared from view off the cliff. Soon however, her scream was joined by Orihime's distraught guilt, the young redhead pacifist falling to her knees in confusion and regret at what she had done. Truly, it had been overkill, and now the emotions and power that had only minutes ago been sufficient to raise the dead and blast through walls were turned slight and befuddled.

She had taken a life.

_What did I do?! What did I do? I'll never…I'll never fight again!_

Rukia Kuchiki could only watch on as her distraught friend burst into tears. Simply said, there was nothing she could say.

* * *

For her part, Momo Hinamori found a brief tranquility as she descended into the freefalling abyss off the cliff's precipice. Falling through the air, she felt as if she were floating like a snowflake and could feel Captain Aizen's eyes and touch all over her wounded body. It was as if he were watching her at that very moment (and knowing that dastardly fiend, perhaps he was from within the bowels of his hellish kingdom) and that made her both calm and resigned.

After all, she had failed him utterly and completely. All that she deserved and all that was ultimately awaiting her at the ground rushing towards her was, after all, death.

Momo Hinamori closed her eyes, an in an instant she was swallowed into darkness. It felt damp and peaceful, and soon she was gone.

* * *

Captain Unohana thanked her lucky stars that Minazuki had been able to swallow Momo Hinamori completely in midair, it had been a close call after all, the Lieutenant had nearly slammed into the ground.

Now she was safe for the moment healing inside of the flying whale-like creature's belly as Captain Retsu Unohana and her Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu sat calmly upon Minazuki's back as it flew through the clouds.

Unohana gave a calm smile.

"She'll be okay for now, though the scars to her psyche and mind…who knows how they shall be dealt with."

Isane grimaced, nodding in sad and silent agreement.

"But for now, we'll take her away from here, literally.

"It seemed as if she were under some sort of spell, Captain."

"Indeed, you know whom this business stinks heavily of…"

"Aizen…"

* * *

Uryū Ishida found himself completely and utterly overwhelmed as he took yet another one of Nemu's vicious fists directly to his face. These were not normal blows, they were countless and speedy and more than enough to draw blood with the slightest hit.

Was it his sense of chivalry that halted his ability to defeat her? Or was it merely a matter of a man skilled in ranged combat finding himself woefully unadapted against such a vicious close combat opponent?

Regardless of the reasons, Ishida could feel the blood pumping in his skull with each terrible punch and kick of the female Lieutenant, and with each blow he could feel two voices.

Ryūken Ishida, admonishing him for his weakness and foolish inability to survive as a Quincy.

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai, insulting him for taking on something as antiquated and extinct as chivalry.

However, neither voice mattered in the end, all that mattered were the terrible punches that the Quincy was stubbornly taking.

Even at his highest Hirenkyaku, he was outmatched by this silent and ruthless woman who had suddenly entered some sort of crazed berserker mode without emotion or senses.

Still, with multiple broken ribs and bruises already, he refused to fight back in any real effective way. Effective being the key word.

Whipping out one of his Gintō tubes, he quickly spoke as he threw it towards Nemu.

"A silver rod strikes the five-fingered stone bed - Quintuple Restraining Frames! Gritz!"

In an instant it enveloped the crazed Lieutenant in a giant barrier shaped like a pentacle, intended to keep her bound and trapped while Ishida figured out what to do.

However, in an instant her fist slammed directly through the barrier and struck Ishida in the left cheek, sending him flying bloodily and bouncing off against the ground a couple times.

The pentacle barrier merely collapsed in a giant explosion of dust and rubble as Nemu Kurotsuchi walked out calmly from within, completely unharmed.

For Ishida's part, the punch had knocked out a couple of his teeth, and given him at least a bit of crazed sense as voices once more rattled from within his skull.

Ryūken Ishida, telling him to analyze her weak points and calmly defeat her without emotion.

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai, telling him to turn her into dust as he intended to do with Yoruichi.

Ishida ignored both voices, and suddenly inside his rattled mind a scene was playing out over and over and over.

_Mayuri gasped for air, slowly glancing up, apparently coming to, his long fingernail held up in the air and moved almost tenderly in the direction of Nemu's head._

_Ishida stiffened, about to shoot an arrow but having stopped at Mayuri's movement. Was he actually caressing his "daughter", showing some sort of human emotion?_

_Nay, the long nail revealed its purpose, clicking into a heretofore unseen slot in the side of Nemu's neck like a key entering a lock. The nail clicked to the side of the slot and all of a sudden, Nemu stiffened, as if listening to silent orders from Mayuri._

_Mayuri gave one last vile smile afterwards and then slumped back down to the ground._

_Steam began to spew out of the side of Nemu's mouth and her nostrils, making Ishida's eyes widen and causing sweat to comically drape down his forehead. What in the world was this?_

_Nemu's eyes were fiery and suddenly lifeless, her expression robotic as she spoke in a monotonous voice._

"_Entering…berserker…mode…"_

Ishida's eyes widened in realization, gazing at the small nail-thin slot in the side of Nemu's neck, so very unnoticeable but quite obvious in closer inspection. This closer inspection, however, consisted of Nemu's fist directly through Ishida's chest and out his back.

He gasped, spitting blood on her solemn porcelain face and thanking the gods for the opportunity he had been given. This had, after all, been the only way he could defeat a close combat opponent in his situation, getting too close for comfort for both of them.

Trying to collect his energy with Nemu's fist still sticking out his back, the Quincy slammed a silver tube as hard as he could into Nemu's strange neck slot.

"Tilt the goblet to the west - Emerald Grail! Wolke!"

In an instant the explosion enveloped her, surging through the slot in her neck and sending both her and the Quincy flying away from each other in the midst of the fiery chaos.

Nemu Kurotsuchi rose minutes later, though it could very well have been hours, gazing calmly at the bodies of Uryū Ishida and Mayuri Kurotsuchi both scattered around her and heavily wounded.

She couldn't remember a thing, but there was one clear resolution in her now calmed head.

"I have to…heal them both…"

* * *

Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya watched calmly as Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai emerged from the wreckage caused by Hitsugaya's shikai attack, the former Captain staring calmly at Hitsugaya despite his terrible wounds opened up from the previous vicious battles he had had to go through.

Truly, Kaworu was a bloody mess, the battles with Kenpachi, Ukitake, Komamaru, and Shunsui leaving him tattered and heavily wounded. Getting slammed into a wall by Hitsugaya's dragon truly didn't help, especially as he was just in the midst of his father's estate and tower, so close yet so far.

However, for all his blood and chaos, Kaworu seemed serene and calm, staring at Hitsugaya's swaying ice wings and menacing-looking blade from a distance.

"You, possessing one of the great cursed dragons. What a joke!"

"What the hell are you talking about? Where's Hinamori, you bastard?"

"I don't know who the hell you're talking about. As for the cursed dragons, they lay thrice in history, the cursed dragons of the nobility, Inazuma, Hyōrinmaru, and Ryūjin Jakka. Each possess lordship over an element of the heavens, ice, lightning, and flame. My father sealed them away into special hosts on defeating the noble families and uniting Soul Society under his rule."

"You mean-"

"Indeed, my father, Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai possesses the last cursed dragon. And your blade there and your pitiful body, I suppose, hold the cursed dragon of ice. Surprising to see him wielded by such an utter welp, let alone a welp using his first limit release…"

Tōshirō Hitsugaya grit his teeth, flashing in a vicious shunpo directly behind Kaworu and swinging his blade high up into the air.

"Bankai: Daiguren Hyōrinmaru! Ryūsenka!"

"Tch. How stubborn. Kowasu, Inazuma…"

The ice began to flow from Hitsugaya's sword to his body, starting at his right arm which the ice formed onto in the shape of a dragon's head and then around his sword hand, encasing it up to the hilt; which also changes from the shape of a four-pointed star to that of eight-pointed star. The ice continued forming up over his shoulders with two large wings sprouting from his back and a long tail. The ice then formed down his left arm encasing his hand in a claw. Hitsugaya's feet also began to encase in ice in a similar manner to his left hand, ending in vicious ice claws.

In an instant the ice flowed out from his body towards Kaworu, only to meet the former Captain's upraised cross-spear which blasted away the ice in a current of electric power that shattered and melted it.

Hitsugaya was startled, but held himself together in a brisk shunpo away from the blast of golden energy.

"Fine, if that won't work, then…Guncho Tsurara!"

The Captain swung his sword down, sending a volley of icicile-like daggers flying out of his blade towards Kaworu.

For his part, Kaworu met the volley of ice with another swing of his spear and a muttering of words under his breath.

"Inazuma…Bankai! Adauchi Raikiri!"

The cross-spear quickly transformed into a trident-like spear and met the volley of ice daggers in a vicious burst of reiatsu that turned them into nothingness and sent Hitsugaya flying backwards into the wall of Yamamoto's tower.

In an quick flash step, Kaworu was in front of him, plunging his spear straight through Hitsugaya and out his back into the wall. Kaworu watched in satisfaction as the short runt of a captain coughed up blood from his clearly mortal wound.

"You're two hundred years too late, you little shit! You can barely use your dragon's full power! You're NOTHING!"

Kaworu's eyes widened as the response to his shouting did not come from Hitsugaya's corpse, but from a Hitsugaya directly above him. Indeed the Hitsugaya he had "killed" suddenly revealed itself to be a mirror-like sheet of ice which shattered into a thousand pieces.

Tōshirō Hitsugaya floated above with a grim smile.

"And you, my friend, are a thousand years too arrogant. Hyōten Hyakkasō."

Kaworu looked up into the sky, his eyes widening as the true power of the cursed dragon of ice was revealed, a massive surge of snow slamming down from the heavens itself towards the former Captain's position.

_It seems that the sky itself has risen to battle me, Yoruichi. So be it._

Raising his spear up to meet the wave of snow, Kaworu's eyes widened as her suddenly glimpsed what seemed like a flower made entirely of ice blooming onto his weapon.

"What?!"

In an instant, more of the icy flowers were growing all over his limbs and torso.

Hitsugaya merely shook his head, watching from above.

"Hyōten Hyakkasō, whoever touches the snow instantly freezes like a flower…"

"What the hell?!"

Kaworu struggled to move as the flowers of ice bloomed all over his body, covering him entirely from head to toe and encasing him in a massive pillar of ice.

"When the last of the hundred petals falls, your life will be over."

Then, merely silence, Hitsugaya alone with the tall grouping of ice flowers that had encased Kaworu, nothing else moving, no sign of life.

The Captain sheathed his blade and turned around, sighing. Something, however, bothered him at that instant.

There was a hand on his shoulder.

Turning around, Hitsugaya glimpsed Kaworu's hand burst out of the ice, resting onto his right shoulder, Kaworu's frosty lips moving from within the ice.

"Releasing…final limit…Inazuma…"

Hitsugaya had no time to scream as massive wings of golden energy surged out from within the pillar of ice, turning it into lukewarm water. The hand that had been gripping his shoulder was soon joined by another one, which grabbed him directly by the face and began to slam his head repeatedly into the wall of Yamamoto's tower.

From within his private quarters, Yamamoto looked down with a sigh, sipping his tea as each smash of Hitsugaya's skull against the wall shook the ground ever so slightly.

"Tsk. What an irritating ruckus."

* * *

Captain Retsu Unohana sighed from within her fourth division headquarters and medical facility, gazing at the inert and heavily wounded bodies of Ukitake, Rukia Kuchiki, Momo Hinamori, Uryū Ishida, Nemu, and Mayuri.

Isane Kotetsu sidled up alongside her Captain, shaking her head at all the forms of the wounded. It was entirely too much chaos and bloodshed.

"What a mess, Captain…"

"If this isn't a mess, it'll do until the mess gets here, Lieutenant."

"Broken bones, burns, sword wounds, massive blood loss, what can we really do, Captain?"

Retsu Unohana sighed, staring at her sheathed sword and then glancing back at her Lieutenant.

"Something is happening, something we can't control…only the Captain-Commander…only he can sort this out now…"

* * *

Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai strode through the hallowed halls of his quarters, staring quietly at the portraits of the Yamamoto-Genryūsai line. His father, his grandfather, even his brother Gendo was represented there in a small portrait.

Such a proud lineage, how had he produced such a murderous son of a bitch? One had to wonder.

Shigekuni turned around as the ruckus from below had quieted down, gazing silently at the doors to his quarters.

In an instant, the doors toppled over completely, chunks of his guardsmen falling over with them to reveal the haggard but defiant face of his son Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai.

Kaworu was a grim sight, missing a few fingers, covered in blood that was as much his own as of his enemies. Clearly the former Captain had seen better days.

Shigekuni turned around still silent, strolling back towards his throne and taking a seat as Kaworu spoke. How much it was like that fateful day so long ago.

"Father…"

Shigekuni looked up sternly, replying monosyllabically.

"Boy."

_General Yamamoto sighed, sitting in his seat in his large chambers and watching as his only son open wide the front door and stepped inside._

"_Why do you disturb me?"_

"_You know why, father…Tell the squads to turn back! I will not be a part of this murder, but I will also not allow anyone else to commit it as well. There are other ways of dealing with the Quincy. They are living and breathing, they do not deserve to be stepped upon like mere vermin!"_

"_There are laws that must not be forsaken…laws that keep the balance of the world and our society."_

"_Laws that condemn an entire race to death?!"_

"_You disappoint me, Kaworu. I had hoped you would one day be a worthy successor. I thought you of all people could understand the worthiness of law and order."_

_Kaworu's face darkened, and he shook his head._

"_You presume to call this law? This forceful brutality? This killing? I KNOW now what law means in this existence. Law means pain. Let me show you my law, father."_

_He reached at his hip and pulled out a small tantō, which he held in front of him confidently. However it was clear his hands were trembling._

_"Kowasu, Inazuma!"_

_His father made no move, the wistful man simply staring at his son and sighing._

"_You would draw your blade against me?"_

"_You're out of line father! Uncle agrees with me!"_

"_Oh, brother Gendo? He has been taken care of already, I'm afraid."_

"_Taken care of?! Father?!"_

"_The penalty for resisting the laws of the Shinigami society are severe, I'm afraid."_

"_Shut up! You have no heart, embroiled in your laws and convenient moralities!"_

_The old man only snorted, shaking his head._

"_What do you know, child?! What do you know of sacrifice? Of strengthening and defending the Soul Society all of your life? You play these child's games still, bluffing and biting!"_

_Kaworu strode forward determined towards his father, who in response rose as well, reaching for the sword at his own hip._

"_You will realize that life is complex and unfair. That sometimes, lives must be taken for the world to be balanced!"_

_A massive burst of flame hurtled all around them as the old man spoke these words, but Kaworu seemed mostly unharmed._

"_It's called slaughter!"_

"_It is called order, boy! This isn't show and tell! This isn't a child's game! This is ORDER. THIS IS PUNISHMENT!"_

_Kaworu only smirked, charging forward to meet his father's outstretched blade._

"_Show and tell? Let me show you something, and tell you something as well."_

_Their weapons clashed as Kaworu hissed out his angry words._

"_This, that I show you, will be the last thing those eyes glimpse. What I tell you, is spoken to my weapon, not to you. BANKAI!"_

_Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai's old, wistful, and usually supremely calm eyes suddenly twisted into surprise and confusion._

_The massive ivory hall buckled and shook with the explosions that would follow._

Shigekuni sighed, faced once more with his son, for what he hoped was the final time. Leaning against his staff while still on his throne, the old man shook his head sternly.

"You've made a grave mistake in strategy, boy. You never had any of my tact in you…You killed us all with what you did, boy, you killed my image of you as my son."

"Stubborn as always, you never listen…"

"You're not my son…"

It's the truth. You're not my son. You never have been. You're an orphan. Did you ever hear that word? You operated here today and on that day like one. I should have seen this coming. I should have known that under this all, these past years you've been building your hate for me piece by piece. I don't even know who you are because you have none of me in you, you're someone else's. This anger, your maliciousness, backwards dealings with me. You were a mistake, an orphan. Did you get that? Now you know.

"Then what about mother?! I know the truth, she never died in childbirth!"

"You…you have none of me in you."

"I thank the gods I have none of me in you. You killed uncle, you killed them all, and I remember now, what happened to my mother…or at least I think I do…I raided the records on my way up here. She didn't die in childbirth, I remember her face now!"

"What do you know of that day and age, boy?!"

* * *

**The pendulum heads in an unfamiliar direction…the saga continues to unfold right before our eyes, but for the time being Father Time takes us back to a brief moment in time…opening the window to not all but just enough, highlighting only key moments and passing over most others…**

**What many have tried to keep from the public eye, and now, what many in the public eye will now come to know.**

**Turn back the pendulum. **

**

* * *

  
**

General Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai sat calmly inside the iron tower, gazing at metal table before him full of soldiers and bustling men all loyal to him and all ready to give their urgent reports.

"General! The noble armies are converging on our positions."

"What are their numbers?"

"A thousand of the Kyōraku, two thousand of the Itachi, another thousand of the Ukitake, and four thousand of the Shihōin clan."

Shigekuni gave a stern nod, the wrinkles that would soon grow to cover all of his face just barely present on his younger countenance.

"And the Kuchiki clan?"

"They remain yet loyal, their reinforcements shall arrive by tomorrow."

"So be it. Deploy our armies into battle, the noble clans shall pay for starting a second civil war."

One of the soldiers at the table grimaced in Shigekuni's direction, daring to speak up.

"And what of your…wife?"

"What of my wife, sergeant?"

"You know as well as I do, she is a noble hostage. Even if the exchange of hostages occurred years ago at the end of the first noble war, we still have a duty to honor our end of the agreement. All hostages should be executed as punishment for the noble clans beginning a second war. We have already put the entire Ukitake and Itachi hostage families to death for their clan's impertinence."

Shigekuni remained silent, gazing down at his feet in indecision.

"What are your orders, general?"

Only the night before he had been dining with his wife Asuka and their newborn son. No one had seen the potential for war coming, least of all the noble hostages. Could he really condone their deaths? Could he order the execution of his own wife?

And if he did not, would that not be a grave impertinence in front of the values of absolute law and justice that he subscribed to? Would he not be an utter shame as a general, a man truly not fit to bring the many hundred rogue clans of Shinigami together under one dominion?

All these questions hurtled through Shigekuni's mind and more, however, he merely decided to change the topic for the time being, glancing back at his soldiers.

"I will handle Asuka Kyōraku's fate myself. That is only just…"

They had fallen in love over the period of years she had been exchanged as a noble captive to ensure peace. He, the rough general full of war and justice, she the soft noble with a heart full of compassion, it was an appropriate cliché that romance subscribed to.

Having paused for a moment of introspection, General Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai finally rose from his position at the table, Asuka's almond eyes still within his mind.

"Gentleman, we deploy for battle immediately."

* * *

Short chapter, the next chapter is a flashback chapter detailing what happened during the noble wars with the various Shinigami clans, as well as Shigekuni, his wife, and baby son.

It shouldn't take too long to write.


	23. Dies Irae

Welp, another new chapter. I'm trying my best to lengthen them, but at the same time I'm also trying to smoothly end the Kaworu arc as gracefully as I can. Let's continue with this flashback, it'll compose at least half of this chapter then we'll return to the present.

* * *

Asuka Kyōraku found herself in her private chambers, where she had been residing for the past couple years as a hostage of General Shigekuni. She had become something far more through the years, however, and one could not help but marvel at the beauty still sustained within her.

Her amber hair flowed freely past her shoulders, framing her soft almond eyes and delicate pale skin.

She had been a prisoner there, supposedly, but taken care of quite well as one of many noble hostages sent over after the first Shinigami war to ensure peace.

In her arms was something of even more beauty, her child, still yet a toddler. Brought down from the union of the nobles and Shigekuni, this child was the true literal form of the peace between them. A fragile peace that Asuka would not live through, a terrible era of war that would mark the child forever.

The door opened slightly, revealing a young man who had to be in his early 20s with a furtive and nervous look on his face, always averting his eyes from Asuka and never speaking unless addressed first. There stood Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai, the younger brother of Shigekuni, a man of science and logic rather than war and brimstone.

"Don't be shy, brother Gendo, come in. Your nephew would love to see you."

Asuka's voice was lilting and calm, a thing of serene beauty, and Gendo was clearly affected by it, blushing as he entered the room and then laughing as the young toddler Kaworu rushed towards him and played about his legs.

"Sister Asuka, how are you? Has my brother been around lately?"

Truly, much was on Gendo's mind. Had she heard of her own father restarting the terrible wars that had ravaged the Shinigami clans for so long?

The Kyōraku clan was proud, and her father Kazou Kyōraku had united another coalition of noble clans to take down Shigekuni, gambling on the fact that the general would not be able to respond while he had a Kyōraku as his wife and mother of his child.

Gendo however, feared and truly understood Shigekuni's grim devotion to justice and war. Kazou Kyōraku was playing with fire.

"No, I haven't seen Shigekuni for a while. Kaworu really misses his father."

"I see…then…I have something I need to tell you, sister…"

Before Gendo could continue, there was raucous laughter behind him.

Three children ran inside the chambers, to Asuka's delight and Gendo's trepidation. They seemed to be playing and dancing around each other, little Shunsui chasing an annoyed Retsu while Ukitake tried to get them both to stop fighting and teasing each other.

Gendo sighed, he really did not need this at the moment.

"Can you children please stop it?"

Shunsui giggled, pinching Retsu's butt.

"Only if Retty stops being so stuck up!"

Retsu quickly sent a punch flying towards Shunsui's face, though it was intercepted by poor Ukitake's countenance as the young boy had stepped in to separate them. In a matter of minutes, there were child's cries and giggles and even worse, Kaworu fell over and hit his head and started bawling.

It took a few minutes to clear the children's ruckus up, but by then Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai had been summoned by his brother and silently departed, the words he had intended to speak to Asuka still left unsaid.

* * *

Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai sighed as he absorbed his brother's heated tirade in front of him. It had been going on for several minutes.

"How could you allow that to happen to the Kyōraku and Ukitake hostages?! You realize that Jūshirō and Shunsui are left without nearly all their family now and your wife still hasn't the slightest idea?!"

Shigekuni stood firmly, shaking his head.

"You are naïve, brother, it is a time of war. Those noble hostages were not sent over to picnic, they were chosen as hostages to ensure peace between our forces and the noble clans. Only the Kuchikis have respected the armistice, how else were we to punish the noble clans for their impertinence? If old Kazou Kyōraku thinks he can push me around like this, he is sorely mistaken. Even now his forces and those of the other noble clans are assembling around our fortifications."

"In that case, what good did the execution of the hostages do?! Peace was already broken, and we will fight them regardless with our forces?!"

"It was a matter of pride, of a vow that we both agreed to carry out."

"But those were people you allowed to be killed, not formal agreements!"

"What would my soldiers be allowed to think? That I have gotten soft? A weakling with a noble wife who would allow the nobles to step all over us? Don't be preposterous, Gendo!"

Gendo sighed, slowly putting on his battle armor and turning back towards his older brothers.

"Then…what are your orders, Shigekuni?"

"Join your division, prepare for battle immediately. The Kuchikis will be arriving soon to assist us against the other noble clans."

"I fear, brother, that this war will kill more than just lives. It will kill ideals, it will kill hope. But as you have always said, I suppose your orders are…"

Shigekuni nodded firmly, turning to leave the room while finishing Gendo's sentence.

"Yes, absolute…as our justice must be."

Inside Shigekuni, a war was being fought, one for his very soul.

* * *

Noble lord Kazou Kyōraku stood before his army as it fought viciously against the ranks of General Shigekuni's army, pushing them back steadily with the assistance of the other noble clans and their infantry. The swordsmen were steadily fighting with cavalry support and the lack of General Shigekuni's appearance on the battlefield had only strengthened the determination and bravado of Kazou Kyōraku's forces.

_As I figured, the coward is too scared to act...perhaps it will turn out to be a wise thing that I sent my daughter into his midst. It weakened him, as I thought, love shall be his undoing._

"Charge, men! Let's sweep these bastards back into their own fortifications!"

Gendo grimaced, doing his best to absorb Kyōraku's full charge with his own division. One thing was clear, the army of Shigekuni was taking heavy casualties and without the full and pure determination and appearance of their commander in battle they would be swept away.

* * *

Asuka Kyōraku sat within her chambers, doing her best to calm down the remaining noble hostages that had crowded around her. They were full of fear at reports that many hostages had been executed, but believing in her husband Asuka had merely done her best to abate such crazed and scary rumors.

"But where is my husband?! None of the men have been seen?!"

There were more cries directed at Asuka, noble women asking for their husbands and young sons. Thank god she had sent away the children, leaving Kaworu, Shunsui, Jūshirō, and Retsu behind.

Before she could respond, in stepped her husband, a sad smile on Shigekuni's face as he did his best to calm the noble hostages around him, sending them away so he could be completely alone with his wife.

Asuka smiled kindly, kissing her husband lightly and then doing her best not to annoy him. It was clear something was on his mind.

"Where is Kaworu?"

"I sent him away...the other nobles are worried, there are rumors that war will come once more...that armies are assembling outside the castle and that the noble hostages we have will be...harmed."

Shigekuni sighed, trying to hold back the tears in his eyes, standing between the forces of determination and love that were doing battle inside of him.

He could feel the force and voice of the cursed dragon of flame inside of him, Ryūjin Jakka.

_"You know what must be done...only then will I lend you my full power and will you be able to crush the enemies before you?"_

_"But...she is my wife...she is the mother of my child! I cannot!"_

_"Then die in that state of cowardice, if you wish, but I shall not die with you!"_

_The dragon of fire surged around him, burning Shigekuni's insides and making him wince with pain and confusion. _

_"What can I do?! What must be done?"_

_"Leave it to me...I will make sure your justice is taken care of...You have no choice."_

Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai embraced his wife, trembling against her and trying his best not to cry.

"What's wrong, Shigekuni?"

"I'm...sorry, darling..."

In an instant, the room was full of flame. Everything inside of it was rendered into dust, including Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai's very soul.

* * *

Kazou Kyōraku's eyes widened as he watched his noble army slowly pushed back and smashed by Shigekuni's troops who seemed to be filled with a new ferocity and bravery. What had happened?! Could Shigekuni have really come onto the field of battle with resolution? And if so, what of his daughter?!

Lord Kazou Kyōraku grimaced as he felt the sword plunge through his chest and out his back.

"Imposs…ible!"

Shigekuni sneered, sliding his blade in deeper into the older noble lord and spitting out his reply with a hissing bitterness.

"You made me take her life, but with that, I gained true power. I'm afraid, this war is over. _BANKAI_."

Kazou Kyōraku and the entirety of his army had no time to react to the massive wave of flames that enveloped them. The screams of the mortally burned would continue on for many nights, as indeed would the flames caused by Shigekuni's weapon.

* * *

**The scars from that battle would stay and live on, both physical and psychological. Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai gained final mastery of the Shinigami and of his own blade, but by doing so he was forced to burn away his heart completely…leaving bitter ashes and an even more resolute devotion to justice that would never ever sway even in the face of his only son centuries later.**

**Extreme measures have to be taken sometimes to maintain justice. Shigekuni would always believe that, after all, what else was left in his soul but the devotion to that ideal? All else had been burnt away.**

**For now, turn the pendulum forward, let us return to the pain of the present.**

**

* * *

**

"Extreme measures have to be taken sometimes to maintain justice. I believed that then as I do now. What do you know of justice and the laws of civilization? If I were to falter for a second, the entire unity of the Gotei and Shinigami would collapse! What do you know of the thousands of bodies that were sent sprawling in pools of their own blood to establish the peace we have now?!"

Kaworu grit his teeth, shaking his head defiantly before his father, his reiatsu rising along with his rage.

"And who appointed you god?! Who were you, who ARE you, to make such calls? I see now, you appointed yourself through the ferocity of your fangs, of your claws, of your blade! Then, I will follow in your footsteps and appoint myself god, I shall remake this world beneath my fist and right as many wrongs as I can. The throne of god shall be mine! Neither you nor Aizen deserve it, full of such hubris as you are! I am the voice of the victims of the wars you people conducted, and we will have _our_ personal justice."

Shigekuni stirred in his chair for the first time in a while since his son had appeared, moving his face forward and hissing with a ferocity few had seen from the normally stern and calm commander.

"Tch! So be it! Perhaps I am merely the strongest lion in a land of beasts. Show me your fangs, boy! Show me what justice you have."

Kaworu quickly reached for his blade, snarling angrily as he did so.

"My pleasure! This is what we've both been waiting for!"

However, in an instant, he felt something slam into him quite hard, cutting off any further words he had to speak. A glowing barrier had collided into him from above, pinning him directly to the ground. He could feel it slowly draining away his reiatsu, and found himself totally and utterly unable to react or release his limits and blade. Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai found himself, for the first time in a long time, totally and utterly powerless.

"95...Mabushii."

A tall man in strange clothing, with a thick brown mustache slowly strode out from within the shadows and darkness of the hallway. Behind him strode out a group of at least ten other men in similar clothing, chanting under their breath.

"Fuyutsuki, Kidō Corps Commander and Grand Kidō Chief. You're under our jurisdiction now, criminal. You'll find yourself unable to do anything under this binding kidō. To be honest, it's forbidden because of its effectiveness and deadliness, but we were given specific permission from the Captain-Commander."

Kaworu grit his teeth, unable to move an inch and barely able to breath or talk as he spit out his bitter response.

"Shit…you…bastards…"

Shigekuni gave a stern nod of satisfaction and grim strength.

"It's over, boy. Like I said, you were never one for tact or strategy."

"Neither were you, brother. You were always the brute between the two of us."

The voice had issued from behind them both. It was an old man with deep, pained wrinkles of age over his extremely expressive face. He had a thick long white beard and clean bald head, and was covered in flowing gray robes.

Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai.

Shigekuni rose from his throne once and for all, his eyes widening with shock and trepidation.

"Impossible! It was reported that you were slain by Urahara Kisuke!"

"Uncle!?"

"This is my fight, Kaworu. Stay where you are."

"I don't think I have much choice in this situation…"

The entire Kidō Corps struggled to do their best to keep Kaworu under the binding kidō, unable to deal with this new opponent who had appeared before their Captain-Commander.

Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai merely grunted and shook his head, smiling slowly.

"Keep him restrained, I'll handle this. Just like the old days, hmm, little brother?"

"Indeed. Some things, you have to do yourself."

* * *

Orihime Inoue sighed as she gazed at the many wounded in front of her, with the bitter guilt inside her as she realized she had caused one of them herself.

Captain Unohana stood solemnly behind her, sensing the pain and confusion inside the young girl but also seeing the great potential she had in healing. Her powers were amazing, healing the wounded Shinigami one by one as they lay in their beds.

"You're quite amazing. Orihime, was it?"

Orihime nodded slowly, giving a polite smile that was tinged with the pain she was feeling.

"Yes, nice to meet you Captain."

"You've got quite a bit of potential...how would you like to help out around 4th Division? We have many who could use your healing help."

Orihime nodded once more, following Unohana past the beds full of wounded.

Perhaps she could find peace once more by helping others and forgetting the battles she had been forced to fight. Captain Retsu Unohana had a calm and peaceful strength she could admire.

* * *

One particular bed was bustling with activity, the nurses trying their best to stop Captain Zaraki Kenpachi from opening up his many wounds again as he sprang up from his bed and let out a yawn that was more like a roar.

"Kaworu?! I'm ready for round two, dammit!"

He soon found the members of his division bustling around him in devotion to their captain and interest in the vicious battle he had had with the bane of Soul Society. Ikkaku, Yumichika, and others were crowded around Kenpachi with much chatter and cursing.

Kenpachi for his part merely glared at them and gave a wide grin as he contemplated why they hadn't revealed the Yachiru situation to him.

"How come ya never pointed out how I was chatting up my sword or that I was crazy?"

Ikkaku could only smile.

"Well, we figured you'd slice us in half, plus you're more interesting crazy. Not boring like Byakuya."

* * *

Captain Byakuya Kuchiki sneezed, staring disdainfully at the strange tall human standing in front of him solemnly.

"What did you say you wanted from me, boy?"

Yasutora Sado gave a determined look, speaking in his gruff voice.

"Train me."

"Train you?! How ridiculous!"

Sado grit his teeth, thinking of Ichigo, Rukia, and the others. He had been useless in this war so far, he would not allow that to continue on forever. He had to have the strength and force to defend his friends.

"I wish to get stronger, I want to defend my friends...and save Ichigo from whatever is tearing him apart..."

Byakuya Kuchiki gave a disrespectful smirk, chuckling slightly at this foolish human's impertinence and then merely giving a slow shrug.

"So be it. Show me what you can do. If you can even force me to draw my blade, I shall train you."

In an instant, Sado was upon him with a mighty roar, sending a massive blast of destructive energy flying directly towards Byakuya.

For his part, the Captain did not reach for his sword, merely staring at the blast with slowly widening eyes.

_Impressive...but is that...Hollow energy I sense in him?_

_

* * *

_Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai paused, his body suddenly trembling with a sudden burst of spiritual power as he held his jitte pointed at his older brother.

"Kaworu inherited his father's fighting genes...I was always more of the intellectual, caught up in matters of war and forced into madness...put into unfair and unjust spots. But such is life. Some stand by their principles and die, while others such as you manage to survive by betraying their soul."

He grunted as he raised his small jitte in the air, smiling sadly.

"I suppose I have no choice…if you insist on continuing this charade instead of agreeing to Kaworu's demands then I will have to bring 'justice' to you myself. Worry not, it will be clean and prudent. _Kara_, Tokikaze!"

The jitte slowly warped and grew into another shape, wrapping and melding around the hand that held it until it resembled a metal glove with spikes on the wrist and a long blade connect to the back of the hand. Overwhelming spiritual pressure surged around the old former Captain.

Shigekuni gave an unimpressed grunt, the area around himself suddenly exploding with power far more impressive than the reiatsu Gendo had exhibited, his tall staff splitting and turning into a sheathed katana. It had revealed its true form of a standard katana with a dark purple handle and a circular handguard.

"I will not even have to release my shikai to turn you into dust, brother Gendo."

Gendo sighed, shaking his head in disdain.

"You were always so arrogant, Shige...I have grown as much as you have devolved over the centuries. Perhaps you will defeat me, but gods willing I will add to your scars before that happens. Destructive Art 63. Thunder Roar Cannon!"

A massive wave of golden destructive energy hurtled towards Shigekuni, impressive for being performed without the chant.

The Captain-Commander merely sighed in annoyance, sending a massive wave of reiatsu forward as a shield to meet and blast away the destructive technique. Gendo had not waited for his blast to hit, already on the inside of Shigekuni's back, having been unknowingly placed in the same shield of reiatsu that his older brother had made. Gendo's speed was astonishing at this level, sending his blade forward towards his opponent's back.

Shigekuni sighed, not even turning around.

"So be it, I will give you the death you so desperately wish for. _Banshō issai kaijin to nase, _Ryūjin Jakka."

A massive aura of flame and terrifying reiatsu suddenly spread out from around the Captain-Commander, washing and pushing his younger brother and his attack away and slamming into the hallway's wall behind him. The flame began to spread, creeping out and terrifying the Kidō Corps men who did their best to keep out of the way of the flames and continue their binding of Kaworu. For his part, Kaworu was trying his best to keep himself concentrating on the kidō binding him and not feel awe at his father's power.

_And this is just his shikai...old bastard!_

Former Captain Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai stared as the massive wave of flame began to encircle him, burning away his robes and making him gasp for air under the weight of the reiatsu and power.  
He smiled sadly and shook his head.

"The fist and pressure of time is absolute, Shigekuni. Neither you nor I can escape it...however, one can learn to conquer time and fate, at least to a degree. In that pit of darkness where I was damned for a seeming eternity, I learned many things. My tutor was myself and at my right hand I had darkness and infinite time."

He gripped his weapon Tokikaze by the blade that sprouted out of his metal hand as he continued, as if he intended to yank it out.

"_Tokikaze_…Bankai! _Chireksi Okki_!"

The flames closed in even closer, a horde of fire threatening to turn him into ash, but the younger brother just smiled. As Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai declared bankai, he continued gripping Tokikaze and indeed yanked the blade out of his metal hand which was quickly returned to its former flesh state.  
Indeed Gendo only held the blade now, and it slowly elongated and changed until it was a fierce black katana that looked surprisingly like Ichigo's bankai form.  
He pointed the blade's tip towards himself, as if intending to commit suicide.

Gendo gave a broad grin that seemed tinged with sadness as he looked at the flames around him, blade still pointed inward at his own stomach.

"You see, brother...when you have eternity to yourself in that void that neither time nor truth knows, well...when you have that, you can conquer all your guilt, all your fears...all your sins...I…suppose I have no choice…Tokikaze…Natsukashii!"

Gendo closed his eyes, sliding the blade into his stomach.

Suicide? Wait...odd...it slide right through him...as if through water...and then disappeared, as if his body had swallowed the blade with no sign of wounds.

Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai only sighed, shaking his head in what seemed to be deep sorrow.  
The ground of the hallway around them had slowly descended into total darkness, as if Shigekuni and Gendo were standing on a murky pool of black shadows. It stretched out for as far as the eye could see, a dark murky ground of dark shifting shadows.

"Tell me again of the grand ring of mortality, _Tokikaze_…speak your story with my very breath..."

Suddenly the ground around the two brothers, the murky pools of darkness, well they began to warp and move considerably, as if ebony ocean currents.  
The shadowy ground began to move and warp, hundreds of human-shaped shadows bursting out behind and around the brothers.  
The shadowy figures had no definition or features or faces, but slowly they began to form into normal-looking people.

They were all different people, the dark shadows slowly fleshing out their clothes, weapons, and faces. Some of them dressed like Shinigami, others warriors, some women, some Quincy, and some totally bizarre and exotic with odd weapons and faces.

However, all of them immediately stared at Shigekuni with a great deal of malice.

Gendo only smiled sadly as a massive amount of forms around him, the people he had summoned pushing back the flames of Shigekuni with their various weapons and reiatsu.

"You see, brother, I had an eternity to conquer my guilt, my gears, my crimes. And when you conquer such sins of the past, they become a part of you, almost like family. I sided with Kaworu against you back then for a reason...I had seen, and help committed such madness for the Genryūsai clan and for you before, even taken part in such slaughter. Unlike Kaworu, who was innocent and just, there had already been blood spilled on my hands, and for that reason I decided to stop any more blood from being spilled by the Gotei 13's madness. Face my sins, brother, see that they do not overwhelm you. If you cannot handle the sins of another man, how can you hope to handle your own? Face the men I killed under _your_ orders."

Suddenly, two specters burst out of the shadow ground and formed into two Shinigami between the two brothers. They wore white robes and they had odd silver pieces holding their hair similarly to Captain Byakuya Kuchiki.  
One of them drew a long sword and pointed it at the massive group.

"Senbonyuriko, _chire_..."

The sword disintegrated into what seemed to be massive wave of what looked to be white flowers which promptly swept out around Gendo and the two Shinigami, flying out specifically a Shigekuni.

Meanwhile, the other Shinigami that had been summoned had leapt up into the air, glaring down at Shigekuni with cold eyes that seemed vaguely familiar. Floating up there, he drew a short kodachi and held it pointed down at Captain-Commander.

"Izon no Niwa, _kiri_..."

The kodachi exploded into a brilliant yellow spiritual force which formed into two golden spectral wings on the Shinigami's back.

"_Karu_..."

Hundreds of golden swords hurtled down from his spread wings directly towards Shigekuni.

Shigekuni gave a sad smile, shaking his head.

"So you did manage to carry through my orders of assassination against the Kuchiki clan back then, hmmm, little Gendo? This will not be enough however, you have not killed nearly enough, brother. **Jōkaku Enjō**."

As Shigekuni spoke those words, he swept his sword forward and sent a massive wall of imprisoning flames forward towards his younger brother. In an instant they had turned all of Gendo's summons two dust, including the two long dead Kuchiki nobles.

The flames burnt viciously and with great power in a massive circle that threatened to take the hallway with it entirely, however Gendo had shown his great speed and fortitude by managing to use a swift shunpo to deliver him out of the flames and directly in front of his brother.

In that instant, he did not use the sword to slash at Shigekuni, to his older brother's surprise. Instead he just stood there with a sorrowful look on his face.

The old man stared fiercely at his older brother, flaring with spiritual energy.

"What do you know of power, Shigekuni?! Of pain?! Of exile? Of Soul Society's punishment? We were not such a dishonorable, cowardly sort. While you were out there, fighting your bloody wars, I was rotting away in that hole…until Kaworu came. I learned much in that darkness, and so did Tokikaze…"

As he spoke, the ground beneath them once again had descended into pure darkness, shadow.  
Gendo paused, dropping his katana into the ground into below as if it were a pool of water, Tokikaze disappearing below.

"Let me show you the lessons of time and eternity, my brother, one murderer to another. Let me enlighten your fascinating records, brother…You were right the first time, I have not killed nearly enough to summon power against you...but...the true terror of Tokikaze's hold on your past, is that those specters I summoned WERE NO ILLUSION! Show him the grand ring of mortality, Tokikaze…You shall face YOUR OWN sins now."

Suddenly, Shigekuni noticed the shadowy ground beneath him moving and warping, actual human shadows rising out of the ground and forming into figures around him.

The shadowy figures had no definition or features or faces, but slowly they began to form into normal-looking people.

They all seemed vaguely familiar as well, until Shigekuni began to notice that they were people he damn well knew. People he had _killed._

_Thousands of them._

There stood noble lord Kazou Kyōraku and his young daughter. There stood hundreds of Quincy and Bount. There stood even more thousands of noble Shinigami from every clan imaginable. _These_ were the people on whom the stable foundations of the Gotei 13 and Soul Society had been built upon, these were the bodies that had formed the stepping stones of Shigekuni's fight for power and justice.

Still they continued to rise out of the molten ground, until Shigekuni found himself overcome and trembling, falling to his knees as he felt the stares of thousands of people upon him.

Asuka Kyōraku gave a sad smile, stepping forward and embracing her husband by the neck as he shook on the ground overcome for the first time in centuries.

She was still just as beautiful as she had been on the day she had died, still unchanged.

"I'm sorry, darling..."

Silence...and then they were upon him, all of the thousands he had slain.

* * *

Not a bad chapter? I tried my best, hope you enjoy the continuation of the battle of the brothers into the next chapter.

Do remember, the best way to encourage me to write more is by leaving me a review. Even the smallest review or comment will tell me that people are reading and want me to continue with the story.


	24. In Flagrante Delicto

Well, time for a new chapter. I know, I'm pretty weird, I don't write for months and then I steadily write a chapter or so a day. I really hope these chapters haven't felt rushed or poor in quality, I'm trying my best to feel inspiration and finish off the Kaworu arc once and for all. It's a story I want told before it becomes too late and I get lazy or the Bleach series finishes off by itself entirely.

Oh, and please do submit reviews. Doesn't matter how long, I just LOVE input and without it I lose the urge to write more because I think no one is reading at all.

* * *

Captain-Commander Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai tore through them, like they were blades of grass, slicing and smashing his blade viciously against them. They were the thousands he had already killed once, and he found that faced with them once more, he had no choice to slaughter them all over again or face an utter collapse of his insanity.

He found his hands were overcome with their sticky blood splashing against him, he found once more that their bones were nothing but mere obstacles to saw through like so many chunks of wood for the fireplace.

The old man had killed thousands over the centuries, but to have each opponent he had admonished and erased appearing before him simultaneously was almost unbearable.

There was the Quincy general he had slaughtered personally in the Quincy extermination, the old man flashing with consummate speed forward and firing a volley of arrows that Shigekuni disintegrated in a wave of flame that also turned the old Quincy into dust.

There was the hulking seven foot tall Shinigami who had once challenged him for the position of Captain of 1st Division, the man having already released his bankai and sent a torrent of acid surging from his blade towards Shigekuni. The Captain-Commander merely used an unmatchable shunpo to decapitate the Shinigami and quickly avoid the wave of acid the villain had released with his bankai.

Instead the acid merely surged forward and disintegrated a handful of Shinigami nobles that Yamamoto had killed long ago during the first Shinigami war.

Meanwhile, Shigekuni had flash stepped in front of a young Bount commander he had personally killed in the Bount wars. The Bount had already summoned its doll, a massive dragon-like lizard that was breathing flames in Shigekuni's direction. However, in seconds, Shigekuni had decapitated it and sent a fireball screaming through the air at the Bount's face.

The Bount screamed and died in agony a minute or so later, but by then Shigekuni had already moved on, clashing swords with a Shinigami criminal he had executed long ago. The Shinigami roared, swinging his massive nodachi viciously once more towards Shigekuni, but Shigekuni met the blade and overpowered the strike effortlessly. In one stroke he broke the nodachi and carved the Shinigami villain in half.

With another stroke, he sent a searing wave of fire flowing out of his sword and directly at a dozen assorted Quincy and Shinigami nobles, who were instantly turned into ash.

Slowly his opponents began to back off and swirl around him by the thousands, either frightened or singed away by his flames. Any that would step forward would be slashed into pieces or burnt into ash by Shigekuni, but they were slowing circling around him in a precise circle that was slowly closing in in terms of size.

The Captain-Commander could see them closing in on him with their superior numbers and merely let out a mildly annoyed grunt, clearly not too concerned.

Slamming his flaming sword into the ground, he muttered a couple words and let his private chambers shake with power.

"Kaji Kootetsu."

In a ring with Shigekuni at its circle, the ground around which the flaming sword was embedded began to melt into molten stone.

The lava began to flow out all around Shigekuni and swallow up hundreds of screaming opponents in its stubborn burning flow. As it enveloped and burnt them away, it cooled and hardened, forming obstacles of stone to stop his opponents from forming anymore complex formations, splitting them up in confusion and terror.

Soon his thousands of opponents were no longer organized or in a circle, rather in dispersed groups chased by the exponential growth of burning lava or confused and trying to rally back against Shigekuni by themselves.

Regardless, Shigekuni's massive attack soon began to peter out, either because of the distance it had traveled and cooled or perhaps because of an equally impressive attack that had been used in reaction to it.

"Hyotenka, Kori!"

The voice had issued from within a group of dozens of Shinigami nobles who quickly separated to reveal the source of the voice and the flow of ice that was pouring out from the voice's attack.

It was none other than the noble lord Kazou Kyōraku, using his shikai to send a wave of ice forward that would cool and calm Shigekuni's lava and at least stop its flow from decimating countless more opponents of the Captain-Commander.

In a single moment of time, Shigekuni was upon Kazou, dicing apart his Shinigami bodyguards into dozens of separate pieces and then clanging his blade Ryūjin Jakka against Kazou Kyōraku's ice zanpakutō Kori.

Old Kazou grit and ground his teeth, desperately trying to hold his ground against the opponent who had vanquished him as a younger man so long ago. But Shigekuni's power had grown exponentially while Kazou's had remained frozen in the era of the Shinigami wars.

It was not very long before the blade of ice began to yield against the blade of flames through Shigekuni's pure superior physical strength and reiatsu, the vicious fire dragon Ryūjin Jakka biting against the elegant ice princess Kori and nearly rending the sword in two.

Kazou desperately jumped away, trying to get one of the dozens of Quincy or Shinigami that Shigekuni had killed in between him and the murderous Captain-Commander. However old Kyōraku's shunpo was nowhere near fast enough and in a second later Shigekuni had landed behind him with Kazou's blood head severed at the neck and held in his wrinkly merciless hands.

"Goodbye again, you old fool."

Tossing the head away without any further words or hesitation, Shigekuni once more jumped forward to mercilessly continue the slaughter of the thousands of opponents who had been summoned up by Gendo.

* * *

Gendo eyes widened as he watched his older brother ripping through the thousands of people he had already murdered once, taking their lives again without any mercy. He had not expected such solemn fortitude and determination from his older brother, and Gendo was nearly amazed by the monster that Shigekuni had become after killing his own wife and ending the Shinigami wars once and for all.

"I see...so this is the revelation of your true monstrosity, a blasphemy standing against both Time and Fate. Heed my words, brother, you will suffer for eternity for your sins, even if I am unable to deliver you to oblivion. You will never live a happy and pleasant life, for you do not deserve such an existence."

Directing more and more of the enemies of Shigekuni he had summoned forward towards his older brother, Gendo caught a flash of amber hair and pretty almond eyes that made him wince in pain.

_Asuka…I supposed you WOULD be here as well. I am sorry I could not defend your life._

Turning away while the thousands of enemies he had summoned rallied once more to attack and perhaps finally vanquish Shigekuni, Gendo merely sighed in the corner of the chambers.

"I understand, Tokikaze...So this is how Fate speaks: with the mouth of Injustice. It makes sense after all these centuries that scum such as this one would be victorious. Yet I will not let myself fall hollowly into death's arms..."

* * *

Captain Commander Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai rose forward once more, sending a surging wave of flame forward that intercepted and blocked a volley of hundreds of Quincy arrows that had been fired by a dozen angered Quincy he had slain so long ago.

Blocking their subsequent arrows and flashing in front of him, his fast hands began to swing his flaming sword so quickly that in a matter of seconds they were all but a hundred or so pieces of burnt flesh.

Turning to finally intercept another Quincy arrow, he smirked as he gazed at the man who had fired it.

It was a stern old man around Shigekuni's age dressed in flowing blue Quincy robes. The great-great-grandfather of Sōken Ishida and therefore ancestor of Uryū, the proud and powerful Quincy legend known as Itachi Ishida who had been a major Quincy commander during the Quincy wars and extermination.

Drawing his glowing bow Tenraisan back, the Quincy let fire a vicious volley of arrows that Shigekuni barely managed to deflect and turn into dust. It was now that the old Captain-Commander was slowly remembering how difficult it had been to finally kill Itachi during the Quincy extermination.

Itachi grit his teeth, shaking his old head in anger. In an instant, he used an amazing Hirenkyaku to dodge one of Shigekuni's flame waves and appeared directly above the Shinigami with his bow glowing with energy and his shoulder pulsing with collected reiatsu.

"You will die now, Shinigami scum! Licht Regen!"

Slamming down from the Quincy's bow came a cloud of over a thousand glowing arrows which quickly began to crash down into Shigekuni's position, sending out a giant burst of rubble and destruction.

When the arrows and their destructive energy had cleared, Shigekuni was revealed with multiple wounds all over his already scarred and muscular body and much of his Captain's uniform burnt away. Otherwise however, the Captain-Commander was defiantly intact and ready for battle.

Raising his sword in the air with one hand in the Quincy's direction and positioning his other hand over his upraised head's mouth, he spoke a single muttered word.

"Higan…"

In an instant a massive breath of flame burst out of Shigekuni's mouth as if he himself were some terrifying dragon, the giant cloud of fire flying up into the air directly at Itachi Ishida's position.

Itachi Ishida let out a defiant roar, the Quincy drawing a blazing Seele Schneider and sending it flying through the air at the cloud of flame. The special Quincy arrow collided with the fire and exploded in a giant wave of energy that managed to just barely shield Ishida from the flames.

However, when the destruction in midair had cleared, Shigekuni had used a speedy shunpo to disappear underneath Itachi and reappear directly above the old Quincy's position.

The Quincy quickly drew another Seele Schneider and using it like a blade managed to block Shigekuni's sword with one hand. Meanwhile with his other hand he grabbed the Sanrei Glove on his hand and ripped it off, exploding with a sudden burst of reiatsu that swept away Shigekuni and pushed him back down slamming into the ground.

Shigekuni grunted in annoyance as he rose and gazed upon Itachi glowing with renewed power. He remembered now, this was the so-called Quincy final form.

It would not, however, be enough.

Using another shunpo to catch Itachi's speedy diagonal Hirenkyaku, he slammed away a volley of Quincy arrows and swept his blade up into the air to send a searing fireball slamming into Itachi's body.

Itachi let out a final scream as the flames engulfed him, and a few minutes later he was nothing but ash trodden upon by the feet of hundreds of other of Shigekuni's enemies as they charged forward in the wake of the old Quincy's defeat.

Shigekuni was as ready as ever, slicing another Shinigami in half and then sending a burst of flame flying forward to disintegrate another poor Quincy. Minute by minute the numbers of the thousands of opponents that Gendo had summoned were being cut down by the hundreds. Soon only a few hundred would be left, but it mattered not to the Captain-Commander; truly he was not even slightly fatigued.

Behind him landed a tall muscular tan man who he had once known as the defiant noble Naraku Ukitake, great-granduncle of Jūshirō.

The angry noble Shinigami had been one of the leading generals of the first Shinigami war whereupon Shigekuni had tried to bring all the rogue Shinigami groups and noble clans together under one strengthened dominion under his control.

Naraku had been famous for his immense strength and even now it was impressive, his fist smashing into the airspace where Shigekuni had been seconds ago prior to a swift shunpo. The punch shredded apart the stone ground of Shigekuni's chambers like it was mere paper.

Flexing his muscles in a self-congratulatory fashion as Shigekuni fled under another vicious punch, Naraku quickly drew the katana at his hip and spoke his shikai phrase.

"Metsu, Shigan!"

The katana turned into a giant iron mallet with which Naraku quickly blocked Shigekuni's blade and then pushed back the Captain-Commander with great ferocity.

Slamming his mallet into the ground, Naraku sent out a dangerous earth-shaking tremor which momentarily made Shigekuni unsteady on his feet.

In that instant, Naraku used a shunpo to appear directly above Shigekuni and smash his giant mallet down as hard as he could towards his opponent's skull with the intent to match it into paste.

To Naraku's surprise, Shigekuni dropped his blade in response and caught the mallet head on with two flaming hands. Naraku's surprise and terror only increased as Shigekuni's literally flaming hot hands began to rip apart and melt the iron mallet into pieces of scrap and fling them at Ukitake's face.

Ukitake hadn't any time to scream as the molten pieces of his own zanpakutō splashed against his face, blinding him and sending him stumbling away…directly into Shigekuni's blade as the Captain-Commander appeared behind him and then sliced him completely in half.

Naraku's proud muscular body was nothing but two pieces of burnt flesh by then, which Shigekuni solemnly turned into dust with a gesture and burst of reiatsu.

However, Shigekuni's next opponent from within the midst of hundreds was one that shocked him completely. Once more Asuka Kyōraku had come forward in her ravishing form, embracing Shigekuni and essentially paralyzing him with trepidation and nostalgic guilt.

"A-Asuka…what are you…doing?"

"I'm sorry…"

Though she held him gently, he found himself completely paralyzed in her hold, his grip on his sword loosening as hundreds of his opponents closed in on him ready to skewer him once and for all while his deceased wife embraced him.

_I cannot…die like this…I cannot allow Gendo and Kaworu to triumph over Soul Society and the justice I took centuries to create._

_I'm sorry…Asuka…A part of me will love you, always._

"Jōkaku Enjō."

In an instant a massive curtain of flame spewed forth from Ryūjin Jakka, a veritable fortress of flame that then spread out in an explosion of fire that enveloped and disintegrated absolutely everything and everyone around Shigekuni completely.

* * *

When the flames had ceased, there was nothing left but the final man, Gendo Yamamoto-Genryūsai staring at the carnage with a shocked and trembling face.

And it was through that shocked and trembling face's chest that Shigekuni's blade protruded a second later, broiling Gendo's insides with merciless flames as it pierced him in twain.

Gendo's eyes widened and he stared down at the blade stuck into his chest, trembling slightly.

"I...see...So this is fate's wave..."

_The guard speaking the sentence halted._

"_Do you have any last words? Perhaps you will apologize for your sins and ask for forgiveness from your leader?_

_Gendo grit his teeth, unable to move._

"_I will say this…"_

_Pursing his lips, he spit directly in his brother's face._

"_That is all, I am-"_

_He gasped as he felt Shigekuni's blade slash deep across his chest in a spray of blood and the guards sent him tumbling down into the dark abyss of the pit._

"Hahahahaha...brother...I died long ago...your blade is nothing but a postscript..."

Gendo laughed, spitting blood in Shigekuni's face as Ryūjin Jakka lay in his body.

_Gendo Yamamoto-Genryûsai lay in the darkness of the pit. The darkness was eternity, time and reality no longer existed as he lay starving and wasting away._

_How long had he been banished to this hole without light or time? Minutes? Hours? Centuries?_

_Beside him there was a tall, majestically beautiful crane of pure white feathers, with a long delicate beak and slender legs. Tokikaze, the wave of fate and time._

_He glanced at the bird, smiling warily in the paused darkness of his world._

"_Tell me, Tokikaze...Am I alive? Is this what one could call life? Can I be called alive? Is this but a dream? Can I dream alone?"_

"_That would not be a dream. It would just be a projection of reality."_

"_Then... where is my dream?"_

"_That is the extension of reality."_

"_My... where is my reality?"_

_"That is..."_

"...That is at the end of the dream."

Gendo smiled as he dropped Tokikaze's form, still pierced mortally by Ryūjin Jakka but placing the index finger of each of his hands on each opposite shoulder of his older brother directly in front of him. His index fingers both suddenly flared with spiritual energy.

"Destructive Art Four. White Lightning..."

Shigekuni didn't even budge through the two shots of lightning that flared and blazed through his shoulders, keeping his blade firm inside his younger brother's body and continuing the flames that were eating away at Gendo's insides.

Gendo for his part smiled sadly through the pain while staring at the new burns he had sent into Shigekuni's shoulders, his hands moving forward and reaching out gently towards his older brother's face.

"R-Remember me…brother…"

The sword of flame cut off any further words he would have, a mere burst of it turning Shigekuni's younger brother into ash and then disintegrating him completely.

Shigekuni gave the empty space where his younger brother had once been a stern look and then turned around while sheathing his sword.

"No one shall remember you."

* * *

In the hallway of Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai's chambers, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai lay under the binding spell of a Grand Kidō Chief and an entire Kidō Corps.

All of them were struggling against the bestial energy of Kaworu struggling to break through the bonds of the forbidden binding kidō they had used. It was a spell so powerful it was supposed to be able to bind an entire army of Shinigami, let alone one man.

Yet even then they were struggling, trying to keep the beast that was Kaworu down and pinned while the spell drained away and inhibited his reiatsu.

Kaworu was struggling as hard as he could, though he suddenly felt something else inside of him as he lost track of Gendo's reiatsu for good.

_Uncle?!_

Letting out an angry roar, Kaworu let Inazuma send a surge of lightning through his own body, painful but far more destructive for his enemies as it burst out of his skin and slammed into each of the Kidō Corps members, sending them flying back and disrupting their concentration and Kidō spell.

In an instant Kaworu was up on his feet with a fiery roar, singed and drained of reiatsu but otherwise fine and ready to battle. In an instant he sprang forward with his bare hands, snapping the neck of an enemy Shinigami and then crushing the skull of another.

In a matter of seconds, he had decimated the entire Kidō Corps with vicious hand to hand combat that none of them were able to counter. He had been so agile that none of them were even able to mutter any chants or cast any spells.

All accept for the Kidō Chief himself, Fuyutsuki the proud, standing there tall and muscular with his auburn mustache and face full of rage at the man who had destroyed his entire squadron.

"You murderous bastard! You beast! I'll take you out once and for all! Destructive Art 90. Kurohitsugi."

Kaworu barely had anytime to react as a box of black energy formed around him and then converged onto his body, piercing him with dozens of spears of ebony destructive energy.

When the spell had cleared however, Kaworu remained standing, dripping blood from his many wounds but otherwise unharmed.

"It'll take more than that, Chief."

"What…what the hell are you?"

Kaworu merely smirked, flashing forward and appearing in front of Fuyutsuki.

The Kidō Chief let out a violent scream as Kaworu plunged his hand straight through his chest, crushing his ribs and coming out of his back. A pulse of lighting surged through Kaworu's hands and in a few instants Grand Kidō Chief Fuyutsuki was reduced to a pile of dust.

Feeling an immense spiritual pressure directly behind him, he turned to gaze at his waiting father.

"Well then, shall we, father?"

"So be it."

"No reason to waste anymore time with formalities, I think. Both of us are a bit too torn up."

"Agreed."

Both of them reached for their blades and spoke with their similar booming and authoritative voices, reiatsu blasting out and breaking apart the stone chambers they were in.

"Inazuma…**Bankai**! Adauchi Raikiri!"

"Ryūjin Jakka…**Bankai**! Kakijusshigan!"

It was time for the two great cursed dragons to clash.

* * *

Hope that was an exiting chapter for you guys, it was plenty fun to write. Finally we've reached the great climax of the Kaworu arc…father versus son!


	25. Treuga Dei

Hope you enjoy this chapter, the Kaworu arc will soon be wrapped up. Please do submit your reviews, otherwise I won't know anyone is reading.

* * *

Shigekuni's quarters were ripped apart, already fragile and demolished from the previous brotherly battle that had occurred inside of them. The reishi forming the very structural pieces of the building were disintegrated by the full force of reiatsu blasting away from inside of them as Shigekuni and his son released their bankais.

In fact, the building itself was completely disintegrated and blown away into the wind, revealing the two high-level Shinigami and their powerful elemental bankais.

Kaworu's muscles bulged and his spiritual power rose up and down drastically as his body crackled with pure reiatsu.

The knuckles gripping his changing zanpakutō seemed to smolder until it was clear that golden-white kanji were forming tattooed on each finger's knuckle spelling the phrase "VENGEANCE IS MINE" ("Fukushû Suruwa Wareniari") across both hands.

The letters gave off smoke as they were seemingly tattooed onto him with an invisible hot iron, and as his newly changed hands gripped the spear, it began to change as well.

Inazuma seemed to grow longer and thicker, far stronger and sturdier looking and it changed further, obviously no longer a simple cross spear.

The perpendicular trio of blades ending in a sort of curved trident instead much like the blade of a sai.

This new Inazuma glowed with power, as did Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai's trembling form.

This was Inazuma's bankai, Adauchi Raikiri.

Meanwhile Shigekuni's blade of flame had sent a massive wave of fire all around him, even more impressive than his shikai's inferno. The sword had melted completely so it was no longer a katana covered in flame but a straight long sword whose blade was composed completely of fire.

It was a massive sword indeed, its blade almost as long as Kaworu's spear, though Shigekuni held the bankai form casually with one hand as if it were in its staff form.

The blade being composed completely of fire grew and shortened at will as the flames that created it raged all around Shigekuni.

Unlike Kaworu, Shigekuni no longer trembled or felt unbearable pain and energy surging through him in this form. He had come to a complete balance with his sword and gotten used to the immense power of the dragon inside of him.

After all, one accidental gesture on Shigekuni's part with his sword and he could accidentally demolish half of Soul Society. A single twitch, and everyone in this dimension could be turned into dust.

This was Ryūjin Jakka's bankai, Kakijusshigan.

Shigekuni's hair and beard had become engulfed completely with fire, but he didn't seem to noticed or care, sparks flying off of him as he let out a bestial roar. No one in Soul Society had ever seen him like this, at his full power and rage, the usually collected man engulfed with reiatsu and fire.

"ARE YOU PREPARED FOR YOUR PUNISHMENT?!"

Kaworu trembled, feeling his father's immense power and remembering the epic battle they had had centuries ago. No, he had to stabilize himself, he had to maintain. He had grown over the centuries. He was doing this for existence's sake, for Yoruichi, for everyone, he would recreate the world in his image and bring peace and understanding to it with an iron fist of creation.

After all, god's throne was empty, and he deserved the seat! It was his by right!

"I am ready to bring my vengeance into your chest and turn you into ash as you did with uncle Gendo. You are mistaken, no one shall remember _you_ when I remake this world in my own image. You will be forgotten and no one shall come to your gravestone."

"So be it! Let the stakes of this battle be all of Soul Society itself, let the price of this battle be oblivion for the loser! Show me what you've got, boy!"

Kaworu quickly obliged, using his shunpo to rush forward and then send a surging wave of lightning forward towards Shigekuni.

Shigekuni only smirked, ducking swiftly under the lightning and shaking his head.

"You'll have to be faster than that, boy."

"Indeed?"

Kaworu sneered, flashing forward and slamming his spear hard into the ground. It quickly emitted a pulse of electricity that surged out directly towards Shigekuni, threatening to fry him from the feet up.

Quickly jumping over the current of electricity, Shigekuni shook his head, swinging his blade and sending out a massive wave of flames directly at Kaworu.

"It's not enough, boy!"

Kaworu roared in exasperation, swinging his spear in a wild circle to clear away and dissipate the wave of flames and then pointing the weapon in his father's direction.

"I'll show you!"

Shigekuni quickly focused on Kaworu's spear as he awaited the next attack, but it was merely a visual ploy. Instead of using his spear, Kaworu opened his mouth wide and out flew a massive spear of lighting that hurtled towards Shigekuni and then split into smaller lightning bolts that flew in all directions.

The old man let out a grunt of pain as one of the smaller bolts burned the skin on his right shoulder, but he managed to swing his sword about and create a small inferno of fire that blocked the rest of the lightning that Kaworu had fired out of his mouth.

"Tch, still not enough."

Shigekuni felt exhilarated and young because of this battle, truly, and quickly hoisting his sword up he used one of his most creative offensive attacks. Slamming his sword down into the ground, Shigekuni began to pour as much fire reiatsu into the earth as possible. To Kaworu's wide-eyed surprise, the ground around him began to melt and contort as if it were the waves of the ocean.

In an instant, the ground below Kaworu gave way before he could react, melting and burning him an enveloping him like some sort of quicksand up to his waist.

Despite the fact that he was fighting a battle to the death, Shigekuni merely overconfidently let the ground around Kaworu cool so that instead of being burned alive Kaworu was merely entombed from the waist down in solid cooling stone.

"Shit, you bastard!"

"It appears you lack the necessary tact and strategy to fight a battle such as this, boy. Perhaps rethink your philosophies now that you're stuck like a mole?"

"I'll show you…I'm no longer a child, I'll slit your throat from ear to ear!"

Surging with angry reiatsu, Kaworu slammed his hands palm down into the ground and burst out of the stone prison he had been entombed in, cracking it into chunks with his electric power.

"I won't even need my spear! There's a reason Yoruichi was a master of hand-to-hand combat! What she knows she learned from me in sparring matches!"

Slamming his spear into the ground, Kaworu sent a shockwave of lightning surging at Shigekuni. However as it hurtled towards the Captain-Commander, Kaworu didn't bother to pull his spear out. Instead he was already upon Shigekuni with a flurry of wild and fluid kicks and punches.

They smashed and battered Shigekuni's body with bruises, though he weathered the blows well, blocking some of them with the blade of his flaming sword and singing Kaworu at times. However, Shigekuni did say he had to be impressed. His son had made his entire boy into a weapon.

Suddenly, the opportunity Kaworu had been waiting for in his flurry of weak and soft blows from his wild limbs. Landing a punch against Shigekuni's chest, he smiled, pouring in all the reiatsu and lightning pulsing through his body.

In an instant the electric current surged into Shigekuni's heart and disrupted the organ's flow, halting it completely.

Shigekuni hadn't any time to make any other reaction but a gasp for air, falling to his knees and collapsing.

* * *

_Asuka Kyōraku smiled as she held Shigekuni's trembling hand. For a brutal general, the man could be terrifyingly tender and weak with emotions at times. It was why she loved him so dearly, the tenderness inside of his hardened exterior that she knew was uniquely intuned to her caresses. _

"_How long will you love me, I wonder, Asuka? How long will this peace last?"_

_Asuka only laughed, smiling so brightly that it made Shigekuni involuntarily smile back, overcome by the happiness behind that countenance._

"_It'll last as long as we're together. My Shige, my love…As long as the Sun, the Moon and the Earth exist, everything will be all right, you will be fine, and humanity shall live on."_

_

* * *

  
_

Shigekuni gasped as he rose from the ground, his memories failing him and consciousness returning. How long had he been out of it? Why was he still alive? Kaworu stood over the old man, having apparently not taken the time to deliver a final blow.

"I'm alive? Why did you not take my life when I lost consciousness?"

Kaworu only smirked.

"I thought you were dead already, actually, I wonder what got that old heart of you beating again…an old dream of the past perhaps? No matter, I'm not the kind of man to take your life so easily. I'll drag this out and break you piece by piece."

Shigekuni rose, shaking his head and steadying himself on his flaming blade.

"A terrible mistake, son. You should have learned not to hesitate already. Your shall pay for speaking with your heart rather than your sword."

"Tch! Enough talk old man. I also wanted to see your final limit release before you died."

"What?!"

"Surprised I know? Oh, I've learned a great deal about the cursed dragons inside us both. And with that knowledge, I'll rend you apart!"

"Hmmm…it will only be your undoing, child."

Kaworu only let a grunt of annoyance, letting the lightning surge through his body as he swung his spear forward and sent a truly massive wave of lightning fly out of his weapon and sweep out directly at Shigekuni.

It was impressive indeed, though not nearly enough, Shigekuni disappearing and reappearing directly above Kaworu with a roar and swing of his blade that sent down a massive fireball almost as large as Shigekuni's former headquarters.

Kaworu merely slammed his spear against the base of the fireball, but soon found himself nearly engulfed by its flames. Keeping his grip against his spear with one hand, he thrust his open hand towards the fireball he was trying to desperately push back and spoke a full kidō chant.

"Carriage of thunder. Life's terrible flax of sorrow. Return all to dust as it once was, and end mankind's true misery! Destructive Art: 95, Lighting Genesis, Crash Down!"

A massive blast of lightning surged out of his open hand and slammed into the fireball, pushing it back up into the sky and detonating it with a showering fireworks show of hot sparks.

However, while his attention had been on the fireball, Shigekuni had merely used a quick flash step to land behind him and slash his flaming sword at Kaworu's back.

Kaworu barely managed to spin around and intercept Shigekuni's sword with his own spear, the force of his father's swing sending him flying backwards hundreds of feet. Stopping himself, Kaworu moved fluidly, tossing his spear through the air like a javelin at full speed towards his father's face.

As it soared through the air at the Captain-Commander, it crackled and grew with lightning energy, almost like a giant thunderbolt aimed directly at Shigekuni.

However the old man merely let out a grunt of annoyance and used an effortless shunpo to dodge the spear. The spear landed in the dirt behind Shigekuni, who was effectively now between Kaworu and the weapon.

"Like I said, you were never one for tact or strategy. Is that really the best you can do? Toss it at me? What are you going to do now?"

Kaworu simply gave a silent smile and nodded up to the sky.

Shigekuni glanced up at the sky broiling with black clouds and then turned to stare at Kaworu's spear Inazuma. It was still broiling with lightning energy that seemed to crackle up from it directly into the sky and those dark clouds.

"What?!"

The sky itself was darkening and surging with lightning. Shigekuni had no time to react as a massive blast of lightning hurtled down from the sky and slammed straight into his body. He had to admire his son for such tact and strategy, using his own spear as a lightning rod to take his old man down.

Still, it would not be enough.

Slamming his blade into the stone ground, Shigekuni began to melt it just as the lightning surged towards him. When it struck, it instead was intercepted by a freshly created half-dome of cooling lava that had formed up and over Shigekuni to shield him.

Kaworu panted in exasperation, watching as his father had managed to evade death once more. He had used up far too much reiatsu already and Shigekuni seemed almost at ease! At least he had manage to grab his spear in a quick shunpo before Shigekuni had realized it.

_I have no choice…_

"Releasing first limit…Inazuma…"

He held the great spear Inazuma in his left hand and pressed the tip into his right palm. As if made of air, it sank straight through his palm as if his palm was an endlessly deep pool of water and then simply disappeared.

Kaworu clenched his right fist, his eyes bulging and the veins at his forehead straining with obvious difficulty as his right arm trembled.

Suddenly, the bright golden-white tattoos spelling the phrase "VENGEANCE IS MINE" ("Fukushû Suruwa Wareniari") across both hands that had grown on his knuckles with his bankai started to contort against his skin.

The golden lines began to crisscross and grow, as if the tattoo was somehow sprouting like a vine. They grew up his hand and began to snake and crisscross all around his right arm, these glowing golden lines and symbols searing into his skin as if they were being branded on or tattooed.

It all stopped at his right shoulder, and as the smoke cleared, one could see the intricate and beautiful lines and runes all around his right arm with a new surprising addition.

There seemed to be a glowing wing of electric energy sprouting out of his right shoulder, a single ethereal wing of massive spiritual presence.

Shigekuni only gave a calm smile.

"Perhaps I should respond in turn? What would you do then? It has been centuries since I released Ryūjin Jakka's limits, even the initial one. I believe it would burn all of Soul Society up if I did so, and I don't think I'll need to use it either, boy!"

Shigekuni's retorts were soon cut off as Kaworu appeared directly above him with a vicious shunpo directly behind Kaworu. So fast that Shigekuni had almost been unable to sense him.

The old man barely had anytime to turn around as Kaworu slammed a fist full of electricity directly into his back and sent him skidding away into the ground.

Landing back onto his feet, Shigekuni grimaced, feeling pain from his wounds for the first time in centuries.

"I see, so perhaps you have grown in power. Still…"

Shigekuni flashed away in a quick shunpo and appeared directly in front of Kaworu then, swinging Ryūjin Jakka up in an arc that sliced Kaworu in two pieces from his crotch to his skull.

"…it's not nearly enough…"

The Kaworu that he had sliced in half suddenly dissipated in an illusion created entirely of lightning, the real Kaworu having appeared directly behind Shigekuni and silently elbowed him hard in the back of the head.

Shigekuni let out a grunt of pain, feeling his world and vision swimming from the hard blow to his skull. Rattled, he tried his best to get back onto his feet.

"Not nearly enough, you say? Perhaps my first limit release is too much for you."

Kaworu appeared directly above Shigekuni with his single smoldering wing of lightning, a smirk on his face.

"You're pretty arrogant for a child…don't forget that I perfected the limit releases of my cursed dragon as well. You'll have to prove to me you even deserve to see them, you mere boy!"

Kaworu's response came from directly behind Shigekuni as the Kaworu above him shimmered and dissipated in an afterimage of electricity.

"Is that so?

Shigekuni's eyes widened at the speed and agility, trying to spin around in time to respond. Kaworu was spinning at full force, whipping through the air with his spear which was charging with lightning. The force of the spinning began to create a vortex of air and lightning which suddenly surged out the second Kaworu halted his movement.

The small cyclone of lightning and destructive power surged out towards Shigekuni, who hadn't any time to react, the power of it smashing him hard into the ground and created a giant dust cloud from the rubble.

From within the dust came Shigekuni's tired voice.

"So be it…I'll show you then…"

"Releasing first limit, Ryūjin Jakka."

Kaworu was nearly blown away by the massive pillar of fire that surged out the second Shigekuni had spoken those words. Pillar after pillar of fire surged out of the cloud and into the sky, converging on him.

Dodging as many as he could, Kaworu was suddenly stroke by one of the pillars and sent flying down towards the ground where he made a hard landing albeit still on his feet.

Quickly turning to gaze at the dust from which the fire had come, he saw that it had cleared an his father stood solemnly with bulging muscles and flames enveloping him in the middle of a small crater.

Glowing red tattoos and runes were all over his body, surging with fire as if Shigekuni himself was full of magma. With every breath Shigekuni made, steam and fire blew out as if he himself were the dragon of the sun, Ryūjin Jakka.

Kaworu just stared at him in awe, shaking his head.

"I see…so this is your true power…fascinating. But it won't be enou-"

Kaworu was immediately cut off as Shigekuni appeared in front of him and gave him a harsh uppercut to the face which sent him flying onto the floor spitting blood.

Shigekuni stood over him, the stern father, shaking his head as he burned with flames.

"End this now, Kaworu. Or else you will have to feel my full abilities."

Kaworu merely snarled, leaping up to his feet and shaking his head wildly.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you, you bastard?! I'll never end this, not until you're lying dead at my feet. You think I'm afraid of your flames? You already had me killed once, I'm quite familiar with the infernos of Hell. This is nothing!"

Swinging his spear forward, Kaworu let a massive wave of lightning shaped like a dragon surge out directly at Shigekuni.

The old man shook his head and smiled, feeling Ryūjin Jakka inside of him begging for a duel with Inazuma. Obliging the old dragon, Shigekuni swung his sword and out flew a giant blast of fire with a dragon-like shape out to meet Kaworu's attack.

The two attacks slammed into each other, sending both men flying backwards, but from the flames still burning and singing Kaworu when the attacks had disappeared, it was clear whose power was greater.

Kaworu trembled with seething rage.

_He never thinks I'm good enough…I'll show him…I'll kill them all!_

"You! You! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

Shigekuni merely stared at him an shook his head, sighing.

"Don't do it Kaworu…"

"I'll end this now! Releasing final limit…Inazuma!"

Kaworu ripped his ragged robes aside, his body pulsating and the tattoos snaking up his arm seemingly swirling like serpents themselves as he held his palm in front of his chest. A small circular tattoo lay directly above his heart now, golden and glowing and spinning intricately like the gears of a grand clock around other spirals and circles tattooed on Kaworu's chest.

Hovering over his shoulders were too massive wings of lightning energy which surged with power.

"Hmph, so you did manage to reach your final limit…"

"Now…you're dead…father."

Surging forward with speed far more agile than Shigekuni in his initial release, Kaworu body slammed his father into the ground and began to vicious punch the old man in the face over and over with fists full of lightning, sobbing wildly as he did so.

"Is this all you've got, you old bastard?"

Shigekuni spat blood in his face, shoving Kaworu off of him and swinging his sword towards his son's face. Kaworu merely blocked it with his spear and gave Shigekuni a hard kick to the gut which made the old man double over and spit blood.

Kaworu merely sneered.

"I know this isn't all you've got, dammit! STOP PATRONIZING ME! SHOW ME YOUR FINAL RELEASE!"

"I…promised myself I'd never use it again…not after…that time…"

"If you don't do it, I'll kill you, and I'll take God's throne! Show me!"

"I'm warning you, don't make me do it…"

"Show me what you've got then! Let's end this!"

"I'm not sure you want to see it, boy."

"Enough games, show me what you've got!"

"Releasing final limit, Ryūjin Jakka."

As he spoke those words, the coiling runes and tattoos on Shigekuni's muscular and scarred body began to glow with crimson fire, growing and coiling around his body. Raising his sword into the air, he spoke a phrase underneath his breath to finish off the limit release.

"The dragon of the heavens meet the dragon of the sun…release your true form…Ryūjin Jakka."

The sun above Soul Society seemed to blaze with heavenly fury and suddenly spit out a massive curtain of fire that descended upon Soul Society. It seemed as large as Seiretei itself and surged through the air as if the sky had been set aflame. Luckily for the denizen's of Seiretei, it avoided burning them up entirely, focusing itself as a massive tunneling wave of fire aimed directly at Kaworu.

Kaworu let out a wild scream of pain and terror as the inferno engulfed him. Shigekuni merely sighed, flexing his burning muscles and feeling the energy of the cursed dragon inside of him.

"I warned you…"

Kaworu let out a terrified shout of agony. His entire left arm had been burnt off by his father's final limit release. Behind him, the entirety of the Shrine of Penitence and much of the Gotei 13's headquarters had caught fire and were smoldering.

He stared at the smoking exposed bone of his arm and let out a wild scream, his eyes bulging with fury and agony.

"YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"As I said, I warned you."

One of Kaworu's golden wings of reiatsu had been torn off completely as well as his left arm, and he began to wobble there in the sky, crashing through it still smoking from the flames that had hit him.

Landing hard on the bridge connecting the Shrine of Penitence to the other buildings of Seiretei, Kaworu let out a gasp. He was finding it hard to stand at all, and Inazuma was raging for more battle and energy inside of him.

"_GET UP! I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY THAT INFERIOR DRAGON!"_

"_My-my arm!"_

"_IT CAN BE REMADE. REMEMBER YOUR GOALS. ARISE!"_

Kaworu rose gingerly onto his feet on the bridge, gazing at it as it seemed to be on fire and on the verge of collapse but still holding up.

At the same time he stood up, Shigekuni landed hard onto the opposite side of the bridge, his flaming wings only aiding to the gradual burning and destruction of the Shrine of Penitence and its bridge.

Grasping his spear in one hand, Kaworu let out a vicious roar that shook the entirety of the bridge.

"COME ON THEN! We're both at full power! Let's decide this in one blow!"

Nodding silently, Shigekuni merely raised his long sword, bringing it up to meet Kaworu's trident as they slammed against each other, their reiatsu and power desperately seeking to destroy each other.

Kaworu grit his teeth, putting all his force into his spear as he slowly managed to push Shigekuni back onto the balls of his feet.

"You bastard! I'll make you pay for mother! For uncle! For everyone! For once, you won't be the judge, jury, and executioner! For once you will be punished!"

"You are nothing but fury, boy! Bestial fury and rage! Your urge for revenge will not be enough to kill me!"

"I'LL FIGHT FOR ALL OF THEM! I'LL PUT MY LIFE ON THE LINE!"

The two raised their reiatsu to their highest limits, the power of it shaking all of Soul Society in a violent quake and threatening to snap the bridge they were standing on in two.

Both of the Yamamoto-Genryūsais quickly did the same thing, of one mind as they used shunpo to deliver their final blows against each other and land on opposite sides of the bridge.

Kaworu gave a sad victorious smile, not turning as his father fell to his knees and dropped his long sword, spitting out a massive volume of blood.

Seconds later, Kaworu merely sighed, staring down at his spear Inazuma as it fell into two pieces, sliced completely in half.

"I guess…this is the end…"

Sighing as the massive slash that his father had managed to deal to his chest revealed itself, Kaworu stumbled forward and toppled over the bridge.

_No! Yoruichi! No, dammit! For our dream…I must not die…_

With his last stores of energy, Kaworu reached out and just barely managed to hold onto the edge of the bridge with his remaining right hand. His position seemed quite dangerous however, as he couldn't hold on for long and the bridge was slowly burning itself into ruin from the battle that had occurred upon it.

Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai stared at his son holding on for dear life and merely sighed, feeling memories surging once more through his body.

_Asuka stared at him through heavy-lidded eyes as baby screamed out into the open air, alive._

_This was it, Kaworu would be his name, and he would be the solid evidence of their love._

_Shigekuni embraced the small child, overwhelmed by this realization.  
_

"You know…I always loved you more dearly than anything else in my life. Even her. It's why I could never forgive you. My love for you was too powerful, too tender."

Kaworu's eyes widened as he looked up at his father, trembling in shock at the words, barely holding onto the burning bridge.

"Father?!"

"I awaited the moment I could retire and rest in peace, when you would take up my mantle and I could become nothingness with Asuka. But you betrayed that hope for the future, you betrayed all of Soul Society's hope in your potential as my heir. I found that when I was with you, I only hurt you, so it was better that I did nothing in regards to your childhood…you reminded me too much of _her_."

"You were…afraid?"

"I don't believe that I can be loved by others... I'm not worthy of love. Not anymore."

"Afraid of the shapeless, invisible barriers that separate people…I see…father."

Shigekuni gave a sad smile and reached out for Kaworu's remaining right hand, intending to pull his son up from the precipice, however Kaworu did not take the offered hand. The younger Yamamoto-Genryūsai merely gave a sad smile an shook his head.

"I came looking to create a new world, a new beginning with Yoruichi. It turns out the Throne of God was not meant for me."

"You came close though, son…"

Kaworu chuckled, grimacing in pain as the blood from his many wounds dripped down his arm, loosening his fingers and their grip on the edge of the bridge.

"Back into the abyss, down below paradise waits."

Shigekuni's eyes widened and the old man quickly moved forward to grab Kaworu by the arm, but the flames of his bankai and limit release had already weakened the bridge's structure far too much. Pieces of it were collapsing completely on fire and destroyed because of Shigekuni's attacks.

Finding the bridge creaking aflame and about to collapse, Shigekuni was unable to move forward, watching Kaworu with helpless eyes.

Ryūjin Jakka had burned the bridges of his past and family, once again.

Kaworu smiled sadly, the blood spewing out of his wounds and spraying out into the air.

"Once again, your sword has spoken before your heart. It's far too late. It's best you leave before this bridge takes us both…"

As the bridge began to collapse, Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai's blood flowed out into the open sky, carried on by windborne destiny down onto Seiretei drop by drop.

* * *

Soifon stood out amongst her terrified Covert Ops soldiers, trying her best to calm them down. A drop of blood carried by the wind hit the side of her face and dripped down her chin.

Staring quizzically at the blood, she felt its warmth and it reminded her of a warmth she had not felt in a long time.

She felt to her knees and began to quietly sob, her Shinigami underlings crowding around her in confusion as she trembled.

_I need you…Yoruichi-sama…_

* * *

Retsu Unohana stiffened as a drop of blood flowing out across the breeze landed on her forehead and dripped down the ridge of her nose.

Orihime stared at her, confused as it had interrupted their training and healing of the wounded.

"What is it, Captain Unohana?"

Retsu merely turned away, shaking her head calmly.

"Nothing to worry yourself about, Orihime…just another…wounded soul…we must heal as many of them as we can, but remember Orihime…sometimes the wounds they have in their hearts are even more sore than the wounds of their body."

* * *

Byakuya Kuchiki scoffed in annoyance and surprise as a drop of crimson splattered against his right ear.

Reaching out with one hand to wipe it off, he noticed it was beginning to stain one of his noble scarves.

Using his other hand to block one of Chad's blasts and send it flying away effortlessly, he ignored the young human and was instead fixated by the blood reacting to the soft fabric of the scarf.

The scarf absorbed the crimson fluid, but it was left stained quite permanently, its fibers changed into a light pink.

_How…tiresome…_

* * *

Sajin Komamura felt the drop first, not knowing what it was exactly. A warm drop of liquid falling against his furry face.

He wiped it away and smiled sadly. Not long ago, he would not have even felt that fluid in the wind, it would have numbly hit his mask.

Yet he had decided he would no longer separate his face and his soul from the outside world. He would take it as it came and live without shame, doing his best to save Tousen's soul.

_I will come for you, Tousen. And by that time, Tenken will have the heart to show its true face as well._

* * *

Shunsui Kyōraku lay lazily in bandages on the courtyard grounds of his division headquarters. When the drop of blood had splattered against one of his many bandages, he had only noticed it later and assumed it was a sign of one of his old wounds reopening.

Oblivious as ever, he quickly rushed off to medicate himself with some more sake and sexual harassment.

One eye of his kept current of the massive spiritual pressure that was slowly disappearing in the distance, however.

_Hmmm. What a pity, he was always so fun to drink with._

_

* * *

_

Tōshirō Hitsugaya groaned as the drop of crimson fluid against his face woke him up from his unconscious state.

All things considered, being splattered in his own blood with quite a few broken bones, he didn't notice that particular foreign drop of blood. Kaworu had given him a terrible thrashing.

All he noticed was his own shortcomings and his will to change that, to grow up and defend the future.

_Dammit Hyōrinmaru, I'll prove it to you someday that I'm worthy of you…I'll prove to all of Soul Society that I'm worth a damn…then I'll win you peace, Momo…_

* * *

Kenpachi Zaraki let out a wild laugh as the drop of blood carried by the wind splattered against one of the many pointy spikes of hair he had and gently rang the bell.

"Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings…Hmph! What a fuckin' pity, I would've loved ta fight ya again, especially now that I know my sword's name…"

Glancing at his blade, he gave a firm smile.

_Next: bankai. Ain't that right, Yachiru?_

* * *

Mayuri Kurotsuchi grimaced as the drop of blood hit his disfigured face, growling in annoyance.

"Nemu! Bring me more of the repair fluid! Damn that Quincy to hell…when I find him I'll wring him into bits and experiment on him until he expires!"

Nemu followed Mayuri's orders, but inside of herself she had a serene smile at her creator's irritation and that proud Quincy's fate.

* * *

Jūshirō Ukitake let out a violent cough as the drop of blood hit his right eyelid, making him blink and cough more in confusion.

His two lieutenants quickly flocked to his side, assisting him urgently and begging him to take a seat as his wounds from the previous battles and his already preexisting condition had made himself quite weak.

Smiling kindly, Ukitake merely shook his head and continuing walking forward on his own two feet.

He owed that to all of them, after all. He would stay strong for all of them to make sure nothing like this ever happened again.

* * *

Ichigo Kurosaki trembled as the drop of blood splattered against his orange hair and ran down the entirety of his face.

Halibel stood behind him, opening the black void of a gargantuan and beckoning to him from within the darkness.

"Come, so that what happened to him does not happen to you."

Ichigo merely nodded.

_I have to go…I have to become stronger…for you, Orihime._

* * *

Yoruichi stiffened and burst into tears as a drop of blood splattered against her lips and ran down her chin. It tastes warm and salty still, and despite the strange odds, she knew whose blood it was.

Collapsing onto her knees, she quickly hugged them and began to tremble. Inside of her mind, there was a single smiling face.

_Kaworu…_

* * *

Kaworu Yamamoto-Genryūsai gave a sad laugh and finally let go of the collapsing bridge.

He felt himself flowing through the open air, freefalling hundreds upon hundreds of feet towards the dark ground below, but he could only laugh and smile morosely as he fell into the abyss.

"_Yoruichi-chan!"_

_Kaworu sprang into the open door of his house, embracing his lover and their many children in his arms._

_She held him and he felt nothing but warmth and love. _

_This was the world he had hoped to create with the power of God._

_A world of understanding and peace…not one of rigid justice and death._

"But I failed…didn't I, Yoruichi, my love?"

Before the ground rushed up to meet him and darkness enveloped Kaworu, he remembered one last thing.

_If I can't have God's throne…then no one can…a world where little Sōsuke Aizen is free to cause chaos is a world where Yoruichi can never be happy…I can't die…not…yet._

Then, all was darkness.

* * *

R.I.P. Kaworu

That's the end of the Kaworu arc. Well, nearly, there's probably one more chapter left in it and the arc will be over. Hope you've enjoyed all 25 (26 once it's done) chapters of it.


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